Box of Shame 3
by bholley
Summary: Dark-ish AU fic about the three girls when they are returned to Miss Hattie. The angry, child-hating woman takes out her disappointment on Margo. Follows the girls, Vector and Gru through the kidnapping, rescue, eventual homecoming and it's aftermath.
1. Chapter 1

Margo shifted rather uncomfortably in the Box of Shame 3. Miss Hattie had mercilessly stuffed her into the smallest box, considering her the leader of the trio and probable reason for their return. Oh how Miss Hattie hated children. A few bitter tears slid down Margo's face, making her slightly bent glasses fall down. She soundlessly wiped her face on her sleeve and shifted again. Her legs cramped and it was all she could do to keep from crying out. She lay on her back and extended her legs to the top of the box, attempting to stretch her cramping calves. She finally curled into a ball the best she could in the confined space and let her thoughts and tears flow freely. How could she have believed that the man, Gru, would have taken care of them? She thought he'd come to enjoy their company at the amusement park. He'd even allowed them to have his face painted like a rabbit! She smiled faintly at this memory. He'd been so cheerful! Upon returning home, he'd let them go play and he'd even read them a bedtime story at Agnes's request. She couldn't believe he'd done that. He'd even used the finger puppets. That was what had surprised her the most. She never thought he would give them away after THAT. But he had. And now she and her sisters were stuck in boxes in the drafty entrance hall to the orphanage. She shivered and wrapped her arms tighter around her small body. She winced. Miss Hattie had not been happy to see them return, and after cramming Agnes and Edith into their respective boxes, she'd taken Margo into the alley behind the orphanage and beaten her. The harsh words still echoed in her ears.

"Stupid, worthless child. Even that scoundrel Mr. Gru wouldn't keep you. I am tired of having you around here. You're no good at selling cookies, and you're no good for adoption. You're almost too old to be adopted by anyone in their right mind anyway. Perhaps this will serve as a lesson for whatever you did to be sent back."

The massive lady then drew a yardstick from a nearby stack of scrap wood and began to hit Margo relentlessly. Even as Margo tried to run, she found herself backed into a corner. Thankfully the yardstick didn't hurt too much. It had damaged her glasses, but Margo had been through worse. It was when the woman snapped the yardstick against Margo's ribs that it really began to hurt. Miss Hattie slashed at Margo's arms for a while longer, the ragged, broken end of the yardstick leaving long scratches on her arms. Miss Hattie didn't stop until the girl was cowering in fear and pain in a corner, her bloodied arms covering her head as best as she could. Miss Hattie dropped the remains of the stick and grabbed Margo roughly by the wrist. She barely avoided crying out as the woman wrenched her wrist and she felt something pop. Margo was hauled back into the room, and thrown to the floor, where she lay dazed for a moment, hazel eyes fluttering in pain, shock and confusion. A shuffling alerted her to Miss Hattie's presence again but Margo scarcely had time to even think about moving before those same large hands with the manicured nails grabbed her roughly by the back of her shirt and belt and tossed her unceremoniously into a rather small box. Margo cringed but no further blows came. Instead, the top of the box was shut and something large and heavy placed on top. Light shone through just barely from a cutout handle. Shakily getting to her hands and knees, Margo made to look through the hole, and barely missed being poked in the eye by a pencil. Instead, it grazed her face, leaving a long dark scratch from her cheek to her ear. She fell back against the side of the box, earning a painful kick from that side. A piece of tape was roughly slapped over the hole, leaving Margo in complete darkness. The girl shuddered from fear and pain and lay her exhausted body down on the rough cardboard floor. Her head ached and her arms were sticky with blood and splinters.

Fading footsteps told her that the woman had finally left. Ignoring her slightly cramping legs, Margo shifted again and lay still in the dark, wishing sleep to claim her. She was not denied.

Margo's journey back to consciousness was a long, but not entirely unpleasant one. First she felt as if she were floating. Mercifully, she did not yet feel the hard floor under the cardboard, nor the stinging of her wounds. She felt generally peaceful as she drifted in a semiconscious state, half asleep. A loud boom barely made a difference to her state. Her ears registered it, but she didn't do anything. Beginning to sense the cardboard walls around her, Margo felt oddly secure, as if the walls were not trapping her inside, but wrapping around her like a warm blanket. A few more explosions did little to rouse her.

She was floating again, but this time through a fairly vivid desert, and upright this time. The conspicuous absence of one pyramid among a few others did not seem to trouble her in the slightest. The only thing on her dreaming mind was the thought of water. Water. Cool, fresh water. Like the water at Gru's house. They didn't have good water at the orphanage. The tap water tasted like chemicals and that was all they were given. At Gru's house there had been filtered water. Cold filtered water. She saw the sun burning above her in the empty desert, but did not feel the heat. If anything, a chill passed over her in the dry, barren landscape. She briefly wondered if she had a fever. She'd had to take care of Agnes with a fever once. The girl was burning up but she shivered as if she were freezing. Margo briefly wondered if the same was happening to her.

Suddenly, a low growl erupted from nowhere. Looking around, Margo saw nothing living in the desert, then she looked down at herself. Her stomach growled again. She was incredibly hungry. The last thing she'd eaten were some cookies at Gru's tea lesson. Gru. The more focused thought of their parting roused her slightly. The desert disappeared but did not take her hunger and thirst with it. She felt as if she were floating again, surrounded in a cardboard mantle. She felt more than heard footsteps through the tile floor. She didn't want to leave the place she'd found. The drifting sensation was quite wonderful, but this wish was not granted as a hard kick to the side of the box sent her crashing back to reality.

All at once she felt the pain of her bruises and cuts, the aching of her head, the incredible thirst and hunger. She tried to lift her head as a patch of light was now gleaming from the once taped hole. Margo struggled, but was either too weak, or her head was stuck to the cardboard. She briefly pondered the latter, before reaching a hand up to the side of her face. With a shock, she realized that her face was indeed stuck to the cardboard. The leathery texture of the skin around it told her that it was drying blood. In a flash she remembered the sharp pencil tearing through the skin across her cheek. That was where the blood had come from. Grimacing, Margo wrenched her head from the floor, wincing as she felt the cut open again.

Margo cautiously peered out of the hand hole. Out of one corner she saw the bulk of paisley fabric that was Miss Hattie, sitting on her desk chair. Ahead down the wide hallway was the door, frosted glass blocking her view of the outside world. Beside her she could tell from the sounds, were Edith and Agnes, also in boxes. For a moment she wished she could see them, but she realized that it was probably better for them to not see her in this state. She held a hand to her aching head. When would it ever end? When would somebody love her? _Could_ somebody ever love her? Despair caught hold of her broken heart and would not let go. She lay down again and let silent tears fall. The pain kept her awake, but it did not stop her from drifting in and out of her memories. Reliving times both happy and sad, wonderful and horrible, Margo felt herself slipping back into unconsciousness. She swam in and out of a dizzy sleep for the rest of the day. Before retiring for bed, Miss Hattie kicked her box a few more times, bruising Margo's already sore body. An especially hard kick to the head sent the girl into merciful blackness once more.

The next morning, as Margo still lay unconscious from the night before, a man in an orange tracksuit/pajamas rushed into the orphanage. Miss Hattie greeted the stranger with her usual charm reserved only for adults, and asked what he wanted. With very few words, Miss Hattie agreed to release the three girls into his custody and he began opening boxes. Agnes and Edith, silent for once, complied to his orders to get into his vehicle. Miss Hattie stopped him before opening the third box.

"Don't bother opening that one just yet. The girl is very uncooperative. You'd do best to just take the box with her in it and open it where she can't run away."

Vector nodded and with a great effort, lifted the box containing a still unconscious Margo and heaved it into the passenger seat. They soon arrived at his house, where he again lugged the still unopened box into his command chamber. He sealed the two girls and the box containing the third into a glass containment chamber and waited. He knew his note would soon be found. It was only a matter of waiting until Gru showed up with the moon in hand.

Meanwhile, Agnes and Edith, puzzled by the fact that Margo was still in her box of shame, set to opening it as best as they could, calling her name. They received no response and so tried all the harder. They finally ripped it down the side to reveal Margo's unconscious body, which slid limply to the bottom of the sphere in which they were held. Both girls screamed and started shaking their oldest sister, shouting her name, but their cries elicited no response. While Gru had seen the two youngest girls on the screen Vector had showed him, Margo had been out of sight beyond the lowest reaches of the screen.

Soon Vector gained the moon he so avidly sought, and was now launching missiles at Gru. With a shock, he saw the missiles destroy his front gate instead and saw Gru rushing toward the main building. He activated the escape sequence and sent the top of his complex rocketing into the sky with Gru clinging on, closely followed by Dr. Nefario and various minions. Gru's hands slipped as they shot through the sky, but his own ship caught him and they began to speed up the chase as Dr. Nefario explained the Nefario effect. They were beginning to see the growing moon's effects on the ship ahead. It was listing heavily to one side, then rolling to the other as if a great rolling weight were throwing it off balance. Gru urged his vessel closer, determined to save the girls.

Inside Vector's ship, the moon shattered the glass sphere that trapped the three girls and the cardboard box. Margo was still unconscious and very pale. The two girls hauled their sister to the door they had come through earlier. After some manipulation, they managed to open it. The wind almost swept them out, but they held their ground. Edith peered out into the clouds flashing by them while Agnes clung to their sister, tears threatening to spill. All Margo did was lay there. At the rush of wind and noise, however, she began to regain consciousness. She moved slightly, but was too weak to do anything more. The other two had been pushed some food and water the previous day, but Margo had been given nothing. She was very weak and dehydrated.

Edith's shouting did not register in Margo's clouded mind, but Gru's response did.

"I'll save you girls! Just hold on! In a moment I need you to jump. I'll catch you!"

_He's back?_ Her mind sparked in a moment of lucidity. She cracked one eye open only to see the moon flatten Vector. _Hallucinations… _she thought to herself, and closed her eye again. A persistent tugging on her ragged sleeve brought her back to reality once more as Agnes shouted.

"Something's wrong with Margo! She won't wake up!"

"Margo!" Gru shouted. "Where is she?"

_So he can't see me… I must be below the door jamb. _She thought vaguely.

"Down here!" Came Agnes's reply.

"Edith, Agnes, jump! Once you're safe, I'll get her myself." Gru shouted back. The small hands left her sleeve and a muffled "gotcha" came from below. Moments later there was a thump beside her.

"Margo…" Gru's voice came softly from right above her. She opened her eyes slightly to look up into a pair of intensely dark eyes in a pointed face. The normally sinister face was full of guilt and determination. He gently brought a hand to her battered face. He looked horrified.

"Who did this to you!" he exclaimed, taking in the dried blood and cuts on her face and arms as well as the unhealthy tinge to her skin and her half-opened eyes. He sighed, guilt washing over him in waves as the girl's eyes flickered. Her lips parted to make a response, but she was far too weak. Gru spoke again, looking straight into her eyes.

"Giving you up was the worst mistake I've ever made. I promise that I will never let you go again." He said gently scooping her up into his arms and striding toward the exit as the moon swept by, smearing Vector against the controls. Margo's eyes fell shut and she felt her exhausted body relax into his arms as she felt a lifting sensation. They had jumped. Gru landed in his ship and gave the order to fly still holding Margo in his arms. Too weak to do anything else, she settled with pondering his promise.

_He admitted his mistake openly. No one I've ever known has done that before._ She mused, and finally decided to take him at his word… for now. After all, the warm arms surrounding her were quite comforting, and like nothing she had ever experienced before. The girl had only known harshness and disdain, never love. She wasn't sure if this was it, but it was close enough for her. A small smile graced her pale face as she drifted away, this time into a comfortable sleep as they flew home. _Home…_


	2. Chapter 2

**I had two different ideas of how Margo awoke after the incident, so I cleverly merged them. Sorry the update took so long. I ran out of inspiration until I got the DVD for Christmas, watched it, and kept writing. If I were you, I'd go back and read the first chapter just to remind yourself what's going on. The excerpt from the end of the last chapter will only help so much.**

Previously…

_Gru spoke again, looking straight into her eyes._

_"Giving you up was the worst mistake I've ever made. I promise that I will never let you go again."_

…

_The girl had only known harshness and disdain, never love. She wasn't sure if this was it, but it was close enough for her. A small smile graced her pale face as she drifted away, this time into a comfortable sleep as they flew home_

The next thing Margo felt was the floating sensation again. This time it was not so peaceful. An insistent beeping and the feeling of motion made her feel dizzy and sick. The beeping reminded her of the sound of the myriad of deadly weapons in Gru's basement… Gru! His voice was the last thing Margo could remember. Promising her something… promising to never let her go again. She could feel the ghost of his arms holding her gently, almost like she herself held Agnes when she was afraid. The girl's chapped lips cracked into a small smile. He had saved her. That had some redeeming value. Nevertheless, Margo was still wary. He had given them up after all. The little bit of trust Margo had was broken, and it wasn't the first time. When she'd first met Miss Hattie, she thought the woman was very nice and sweet. That changed quickly as the punishments for disobedience and failure became harsher as Margo aged. Thankfully Edith and Agnes hadn't experienced the worst punishments yet; they were too young.

Speaking of worst punishments… Margo could still feel the pain from her cuts and bruises but it was more muted now. In fact, everything felt muted. Even the beeping was muffled. Before, this dulling of sensation would have comforted Margo. Now it almost alarmed her. She heard voices around her. They were muffled too, but the more she focused on them, the clearer they became.

"Gurls, can yoo tell me anytheeng about what happeened to yoor seester? Can yoo start at de begeening?" That was Gru, and he was talking to Edith and Agnes. Margo sighed silently in relief at the knowledge that her sisters were okay.

"Why did you give us up?" Edith shot back angrily. "If you hadn't sent us back, none of this would have happened!" Apparently they hadn't had a discussion about that question. Margo desperately wanted to know the answer as well.

"I weel let yoo know later Edith, but now we need to know who hurt Margo." The girl in question heard a sniffle from beside her. Agnes. The smallest girl grabbed Margo's bandaged hand - the girl could feel the sensation vaguely, as if she were on the verge of sleep. It suddenly occurred to her that she might be sedated. That would explain the dizzy, floating, muted feeling. Margo elected to keep listening.

"I… I don't know," Edith admitted, her voice softer now. "She was fine when we first got back to the orphanage, but then Miss Hattie put Agnes and me into two new Boxes of Shame and we couldn't see her anymore."

"Boxees of shame?" Gru was confused by this unfamiliar term Margo could tell.

"When Miss Hattie gets upset or disappointed with someone, she puts them in the Box of Shame. Margo and Edith have been sent there before." Agnes added.

"What for?"

"I got into a fight," Edith explained, "and Margo didn't meet her daily quota for an entire week."

"Quota?"

"Of cookies," the smallest added. "We have to sell cookies for Miss Hattie. It's to help us better our lives."

"But it never helped us," Edith said bitterly. "It only bought Miss Hattie a nicer car and more hair spray. The only money we ever got was from finding pennies and nickels on the road."

"She put us in separate boxes," Agnes quavered. "I was scared - they wouldn't let me have my unicorn with me."

"Where was Margo?"

"I think Miss Hattie took her out of the room for a while, because a few minutes later I could hear Miss Hattie putting her in another box. We couldn't talk or Miss Hattie would kick our boxes. I think she kicked Margo's anyway." Edith added.

"After Miss Hattie went to bed, we tried to talk to Margo, but she wouldn't answer. She wasn't making any sound at all," Agnes said, her voice shaking. "I was really worried, but we couldn't get out cuz Miss Hattie taped the boxes shut."

"We tried to shift around to see her, but Miss Hattie had taped over the eye hole and we couldn't see inside," Edith said miserably. "We were stuck in boxes almost all day. Miss Hattie let us out to eat a little, but we never saw Margo. I don't think she was let out at all. We knew she was alive because in the dark we could hear her breathing."

"Then the guy in the orange pajamas came and got us," Agnes said.

"Vector." The venom in Gru's voice chilled Margo's blood, even though the malice it held was not directed at her.

"Yeah him," Edith added. "Miss Hattie let us out of our boxes, but told him to open Margo's somewhere she couldn't run away because she'd cause trouble. He took us back to his house and put us in a glass bubble. We finally opened Margo's box and found her like this." Margo felt a shaking little hand on her arm.

"She wouldn't wake up," sobbed Agnes. "She still won't wake up."

"Shh, keeten. De doctors say she weel be fine but she ees very sick. Eet ees obvious dat Mizz Hattie did dees to her. When she ees better, we weel… deel with Mizz Hattie."

"Now we've told you what we could. Why did you give us up?" Edith was on top of things it seemed. In Margo's absence, she found herself taking up the role of the no-nonsense interrogator. Margo felt her heart swell with pride for her younger sister.

"I feel like eet would be better for explaineeng later…" Gru began, but Edith cut him off impudently.

"I think we deserve an explanation, Mr. Gru. Margo got hurt because you sent us back. I thought you cared about us." Margo could hear the hurt in the younger girls' voice, but realized in panic that the voices around her were growing dimmer and sounded farther and farther away. She tried her hardest to listen in, but only caught brief accented words and phrases as she began to drift back into unconsciousness.

"…I do care… I know… my mother… de moon… Nefario… no, he's… yes, but… shouldn't have…let yoo go… nevair let you go again.."

The next time Margo woke, she found that the dizzy feeling had left her. She cracked her eyes open warily and found herself lying flat on her back on a bed in a white room. The beeping was still there, but somebody seemed to have turned the volume down some. Her body ached from her many cuts and bruises, but she felt infinitely better - a pleasant change from the last time she'd been awake. Also different was the fact that she was warm and wrapped securely in a very soft blanket. It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. Her hair was damp - she could tell by the way it wetly brushed her neck, but clean. Looking around, she found that her vision was blurry. Her glasses were gone - probably nearby. She didn't really mind. The feeling of the soft blanket against her cheek was heavenly. She moved her stiff fingers, rubbing the soft material of the sheets between them. Her eyes fell closed again of their own accord. She was very tired still, and fully intended to simply bask in the unusual comfort in which she found herself.

The sound of the door opening and closing did little to wake the drowsy girl, but a soft, deep voice did.

"Margo?" It was Gru. He gently brushed some strands of hair from her face with a bony hand. She opened her eyes to find Gru bending over her. She opened her mouth to try to speak, but a finger across her lips silenced her.

"Margo, pleese don't talk. Yoo were hurt badly by dat awful woman. I should nevair have let yoo go." A concerned look passed over Margo's face as she looked past Gru. He understood her unspoken worry.

"Yoor sisters are safe. Dey are at home wif de minions." She was content at this answer, but gave a puzzled look and gazed around herself at the unfamiliar room.

"Yoo are steel being in de hospital. Yoor injuries are many, but not severe. Yoo were however, very dehydrated and weak. Dat is why I would prefer dat yoo do not try to speak. Dey wanted to make sure yoo would be okay, so dey kept yoo here last night. Perhaps if yoo are feeling all right, yoo can come home dees afternoon." A hopeful light shone in Margo's eyes. _Home. _Gru smiled at the little girl. But then as more recent memories began filtering back, Margo suddenly looked at him with immense distrust. The sharpness of this look shocked Gru momentarily. Disobeying his earlier suggestion, Margo forced out a short question in a hoarse whisper.

"Why…did you give us up?"

An intense look of sadness and regret overcame Gru's features. He seemed to wilt a little in front of her, she realized with alarm.

"I… know yoo won't settle for a seemple answer Margo," Gru began. "Nothing ees so seemple to be explained queeckly. As I said, eet was de worst mistake I have ever made. It wasn't my idea ineetially, and I truly regretted eet as soon as yoo left. Yoo were not necessary to de plan after I had de shreenk ray, but I… I theenk yoo came to grow on me. Den Dr. Nefario said I had to stay focused on de plan to build de rocket and go to de moon. Yoo gurls were distracting me." A look of guilt came over Margo's face and instantly Gru knew he'd said the wrong thing.

"I'm… I'm sorry." Margo whispered, eyes downcast and tears beginning to fill them. She knew something like this would happen. She knew she was just annoying and unlovable. Miss Hattie was right about that. Maybe if she had just kept out of his way and controlled her sisters better, at least they would be living on the floor in the kitchen and sleeping in bombs. It was better than living in a box and being beaten for sure. Miss Hattie had been right all along: she really was worthless. Gru's insistent voice brought her back to reality.

"Margo!" He shouted, desperate for her attention. "Leesten! He was wrong. My own mother was wrong. Yoo weren't deestracting me. Yoo are de best theeng I could have evar had. I was stupeed for letting yoo go." He could still see he wasn't quite getting through to her. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Margo…" she turned away and tears began to fall. He gently took her chin and turned her head toward him.

"Do yoo know why I wanted to build de rocket and get to de moon so badly?" The girl shook her head, curiosity breaking through her despair just enough to spark her interest. This time it was Gru who looked down in self-depreciation.

"My mother. I only wahnted to eempress her. I thought she would be veery proud eef I could steal de moon. I never meant to hurt yoo. I'm so sorry." Gru moved his hand to gently stroke Margo's hair.

"Do yoo remember what I promised on Vector's ship?" He asked gently. Margo's eyes were beginning to close. The comfort she felt from his hand gently stroking her hair was pure ecstasy, and it was relaxing her into a peaceful sleep.

"I promised yoo dat I would never let yoo go again. And I reelly mean eet." As Margo's eyes closed she felt a finger reach around her pinky and gently squeeze. He was pinky-promising her, she realized vaguely.

"I love yoo, Margo." The words were almost too soft to hear, but when they registered in her sleepy mind, Margo's eyes flew open. She was completely shocked. _He LOVES me?_ She'd never heard another person tell her that before. It brought tears to her eyes.

"What's wrong Margo? Pleese don't cry." Gru pleaded, wondering if he had hurt her again. The shock in her eyes had been completely unexpected. Gru thought back to what he had said. The realization almost brought him to tears as well. Had nobody had ever told this girl they loved her? Gru gently reached over and hugged Margo gently to his chest. She was shaking with tears.

"I love yoo Margo. I weel say eet as many times as yoo need me to een order for yoo to believe eet. It ees always true. When yoo are well I weel take yoo home and never give yoo up again. I promise. I weel always love yoo." Margo smiled and her tears stopped. For the first time since the last morning at Gru's house, Margo was truly happy. Gru gently released her from his embrace, laying her back down on the soft bed and sat down beside her, gently stroking her hair until she fell asleep, a half-smile on her face.


	3. Chapter 3

Dr. Barnes looked in soundlessly on the touching scene. The large, strangely-accented, intimidating man was sitting beside the small child, speaking so softly to her that the doctor could barely hear him and gently stroking the girl's soft brown hair. Silently moving closer, the doctor was concerned to find tear tracks running down the girl's now-relaxed face. Dr. Barnes waited for a few more moments, watching the man's face. The tender, loving look in his eyes was so different from when he spoke to anyone else.

The doctor shuffled his feet a little and cleared his throat to get Gru's attention. When the man looked up the tender expression was gone and replaced with a blankly neutral look. It seemed that the girl was now sleeping, so the doctor beckoned Gru to come into the hallway to speak with him.

"Yoo weeshed to speek weeth me, Doctor?" The accent almost took Dr. Barnes by surprise, even though he had been expecting it.

"Yes, Mr. Gru. We got the test results back." Gru's expression instantly changed to one of concern mixed with curiosity.

"She has drastically improved since the last time we discussed test results. She is suitably hydrated now, but still weak as I'm sure you have noticed." Gru nodded.

"And her injoorees?"

"She has some heavy bruising on her back and ribs - it appears as if she were kicked in those areas. The lacerations to her arms and neck contained multiple wood fragments. We removed as many as we could. As her skin heals, it will expel any small particles we missed. The large cut on her face contained traces of pencil graphite. It seems she was stabbed in the face by a pencil. It still might scar, but so far it is healing very well. Her left wrist is swollen, a nurse noticed. We x-rayed it, but it is not broken. I suspect it is just a sprain and will heal on its own. That is it for her more recent injuries. Now, I'd like to ask a few questions." Gru nodded, having digested the information.

"How long ago did you adopt them?"

"Onlee a week and half ago. Dey were keednapped by an eenemy of mine. These eenjurees happened while they were een hees control. I have dealt weeth dis veellain accordingly." Gru's eyes narrowed fractionally. If this man dared to insinuate that HE had hurt Margo, there would be hell to pay. Gru had intentionally lied about who had hurt Margo. He didn't want anyone to confront Miss Hattie except himself, and that would have to wait until Margo was feeling well enough to be left alone - physically and emotionally.

"I understand that, Mr. Gru. What I wanted to discuss is their care. Margo is small and light for her weight. From what I saw of the younger sisters when they visited, they are as well. I suggest that you investigate the place you adopted them from and request records of their care, as it seems they haven't been well-cared-for in the past. I understand that you care very much for them, so I will not seek an investigation personally as I know you will more than happily do the same. " Gru nodded, appeased.

"When can I take Margo home?" he asked softly, glancing back into the dark room. His concern for and eagerness to be near his adopted daughter left no doubt in the doctor's mind of Gru's innocence in the case of the girl's injuries.

"The next time she wakes, she should be well enough to leave. We will keep her on an IV drip while she is here. It will give her a boost in hydration as she will likely sleep a lot for the next few days. When she wakes, I will show you how to care for her injuries. Keep in mind, please, that her kidnapping and injuries may cause something akin to post traumatic stress disorder. I trust you will take care of her in the best of your abilities?"

"Trust me, I weell." Gru said softly, turning his back on the doctor and returning to Margo's bedside. She was still asleep, the half-smile on her face still there.

"I noticed she was crying," the doctor whispered. "Was she in pain?"

"No…" Gru said softly. "I was jeest findeeng out dat nobody'd ever told her they love her." The doctor looked surprised and slightly saddened. "I weel make sure to remind her of eet every day now." Dr. Barnes nodded and smiled.

"When she wakes, please call so I can get her ready to go home, "the doctor pointed at a small intercom next to the bed. "I'm sure she will be more comfortable at home with her sisters." Gru nodded and the doctor quietly left, shutting the door behind him.

Gru gazed upon his sleeping daughter's face. She looked different without her glasses. Younger. Her eyes and face had always held a guarded look when she was awake. Margo had to take care of her sisters and that often meant maintaining a brave face for them. Now that she was asleep, Gru was able to see just how vulnerable Margo really was. The bandage wrapped around her head to cover the gash on her cheek contributed to this vulnerability. As Gru looked over her, he realized the doctor was right. She _was_ very small. He didn't know how long his girls had been in the orphanage or exactly how they had been treated. He intended to find out very soon.

"Oh Margo…" Gru whispered aloud. Guilt covered his face like a dark mantle. How could he ever have given them away! In Gru's lifestyle there was little room for regret, but he had never regretted anything more in his life. He could only hope that Margo would be able to forgive him. He was reasonably sure she would be willing to, but Gru knew as well as anyone that forgiving a parent for something like that was not a one-time deal. It took time. And to think that nobody had ever told her they loved her! He burned in anger toward Miss Hattie. How could she do that to this girl? Sure Margo could be bossy and a little annoying, but she only acted that way to protect herself and her sisters and to make sure the little ones got what they needed. In fact, her personality had really grown on him. He saw not an annoying child, but a precious gift he had been foolish to return. He would have to prove to her that she was as much his daughter as the others were. And above all else, he had to make sure she knew he loved her.

Gru was brought out of his guilt-ridden reminiscence by a slight movement from the girl lying on the bed. Margo was waking gradually. She moved her fingers slightly, not yet opening her eyes. Her face lost the relaxed expression it held when she was asleep. She seemed almost awake enough to open her eyes.

"Margo?" Gru called softly. Hazel eyes flickered open, unfocused at first. They finally focused on Gru's pointed face and a look of recognition passed over them. She recognized the hospital room vaguely, but the look of concern tinged with guilt on Gru's face was unfamiliar.

"Gru?" It was just a soft whisper but it sent his heart beating faster.

"How're yoo feeleeng?" He asked softly, brushing her little hand with his fingers.

"Better," she said. She looked a little dazed.

"De tests came back better dan before," he informed her. "De doctor said yoo can come home today eef yoo feel better." She looked delighted by this information.

"Should I call for de doctor? He needed to see yoo again."

"Wait…" Margo said softly. Gru stopped short.

"Does he know what happened?"

"Sort of," Gru smiled. "He theenks yoor keednapper deed dis to yoo. I know better." His face hardened, but Margo was not frightened. Rather, she was relieved.

"She won't geet away wit doeeng dis to yoo," Gru growled. "I promise. But first we need to get yoo feeleeng better. Do yoo want to go home?" Margo nodded. Gru called for the doctor on the intercom. He arrived a short time later. Mr. Barnes was once again surprised to see the large, pointy-faced Hungarian hovering protectively over the small girl when he entered the room.

"Hello Margo," he began. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, I think." She answered softly.

"Here, Gru. I'll show you how to change these bandages." The doctor adjusted the hospital bed so that Margo was reclining. He carefully unwrapped the bandage from the girl's head to reveal the pencil gash. It had been cleaned and appeared to be glued shut instead of stitched. Gru assumed this was to reduce scarring.

"Okay, Margo?" The doctor asked in concern. She had flinched in pain.

"Yes," she replied shortly. Gru could tell she was automatically trying to maintain a brave face even though she was obviously in pain.

"The glue will wear off on its own, but it needs to be covered to keep it clean. Once a day you will need to clean it in warm water like this." The doctor had a damp rag and moved it gently over the injury. Margo hissed in pain and in an instant, Gru was holding her hand and was glaring at the doctor but not touching him.

"It's okay," the doctor said gently trying to soothe both his patient and her protective father. "It will sting a little until it heals some more. Put this cream on it to keep infection out. Margo tried to keep still even though the pain was intense. When the pain stopped and the doctor rebandaged her face, Margo found herself still squeezing Gru's hand - hard. She let go abruptly and Gru gently patted her hand.

"That should be the only thing that hurts that bad," the doctor said gently. "Your bruises don't require any bandaging, but they will ache when you move. You need to get lots of rest and lots of good food. Stay hydrated and warm. Your left wrist is the only thing left to bandage. It was sprained," the doctor explained at her questioning look. He showed Gru how to bind it and gave them a brace to put on it once the swelling went down.

"Are yoo feeleeng okay, Margo?" Gru asked softly.

"That hurt…" she muttered, lifting her bound hand to her face.

"Let's get yoo home," Gru suggested. She smiled softly.

"Let's see how well you can walk," the doctor requested. He moved the chairs out from around the bed as Gru helped Margo sit up. She was wearing her pajama shirt - some of the minions had brought it when they came to take Edith and Agnes home. Margo's arms were still scratched, but they didn't seem to bother her much. Gru gently lifted her and set her on her feet, his hand on her back, steadying her as she wobbled slightly. She took a few steps and groaned, holding her ribs.

"What's wrong?" Gru asked, concernedly kneeling beside her.

"I'm just sore," she said. "My back and ribs hurt."

"Dat's where she keecked you," Gru said quietly, and held her close in a gentle hug. "I won't ever let her hurt yoo again," he promised as he gently lifted her into his arms. She smiled at him as he sat her back onto the bed momentarily. He returned her glasses - they were slightly bent and would not fit over the bandage on her face, so she just held them while Gru gathered up her shoes and the ripped and bloodied clothes she had been rescued in. He put all her belongings in a rough backpack which he slung on his shoulder, before gently lifting Margo back into his arms. She winced as his arm put pressure on a bruise on her back, but relaxed as he noticed and shifted his arm away from the area. Followed by the doctor, Gru made his way to the hospital lobby, carrying Margo in his arms.

The ten-year-old would normally have been embarrassed at this treatment, but she found that she quite enjoyed the unaccustomed gentle touches, attention, and love. Especially the love. Margo remembered Gru's whispered promise from the last time she was awake and smiled broadly. Gru looked down at her fondly and smiled. He kept her in his arms, refusing to even set her down while he signed out at the front desk and collected a sample of the medicine to put on the injury on her face. Nefario had called to let Gru know he had dropped his vehicle off in front of the hospital.

Careful not to jostle Margo too much, Gru climbed up to the driver seat and gently laid Margo down on the backseat.

"Mr. Gru?" Her soft voice stopped him before he fired up the engine.

"Yes, Margo?" He turned around, giving her his full attention.

"Thank you," she said softly, looking down seemingly embarrassed. Gru smiled gently.

"Yoo're welcome." He gently stroked her hair before turning around and starting to drive home. By the time they arrived, Margo had fallen asleep. Gru shut off the vehicle and carefully carried Margo into the house. They were greeted by Agnes and Edith, along with many minions running toward them. Gru got a finger up to his lips just in time to forestall the yells of excitement that were certain to come. Once they realized Margo was asleep, they silently parted down the middle to allow Gru to pass. He lay his daughter's sleeping body down on the crocodile couch. Margo's sisters rushed to her side, whispering animatedly to Gru.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"What's that thing on her head?"

"Can we shrink Miss Hattie and feed her to Kyle?" Gru looked sharply at Edith, who had supplied this suggestion.

"Not a bad ideea…" he mused, "but we must take care of Margo furst." The younger two nodded. Gru sat down on the floor, pulling Agnes and Edith into his lap. He hugged them tightly.

"I'm soo glad yoo girls are safe. Like I promised Margo, I weel never geeve you up again." They smiled up at him and hugged him tightly. Dr. Nefario walked into the room to a touching scene. Gru was holding his youngest two daughters while his oldest lay comfortably asleep on the frightening couch. Despite all the terrifying weapons around them, the little family was completely at home. Some of the minions waddled over to join the hug, some to gaze sorrowfully on Margo.

"Lliw esh eb yako, Big Boss?" Jerry asked, reaching toward but not quite touching Margo.

"She weel be," Gru responded to the concerned minion. "She just needs lots of rest and careeng."

Gru carefully pointed out Margo's injuries to those surrounding him to keep them from inadvertently injuring her. A few minutes later Margo began to wake, moving her fingers and groaning. She opened her eyes to see her sisters worriedly looking down at her, their eyes big in concern. Behind them were the goggled eyes of various minions and even higher, she could see Gru. Their eyes locked and he smiled at her and spoke.

"Welcome home, Margo."


	4. Chapter 4

Previously:

(Gru has taken Margo home from the hospital.)

_A few minutes later Margo began to wake, moving her fingers and groaning. She opened her eyes to see her sisters worriedly looking down at her, their eyes big in concern. Behind them were the goggled eyes of various minions and even higher, she could see Gru. Their eyes locked and he smiled at her and spoke._

_"Welcome home, Margo."_

Margo was in considerable pain later that night. They had eaten stuffed crust pizza for dinner much to her sisters' delight, which Margo had also enjoyed. It hurt Margo's back to sit up so after dinner she lay back down on the couch while her sisters ran off to play and Gru cleaned the kitchen. She fell asleep but woke up in pain a few minutes later. Margo's ribs and back were aching horribly. Her glasses had fallen off of her bandaged face and she couldn't remember where she was. Groggy, aching, and disoriented, all she could manage was a strangled cry of pain. Within seconds Gru's hands were on her shoulders, his worried face coming into focus as Margo looked up.

"What ees wrong, Margo?" He asked, almost in a panic. Then upon looking closer the grimace on her face, her scrunched up eyes, and the way she was stiffly immobile told him she was in pain. Years of villainy had taught him these symptoms of pain. In his career, he was often the cause of such pain. Now he wanted nothing more than to take it away.

"Yoo're hurteeng." Margo nodded stiffly, unwilling to move. There was no use hiding it, and it certainly hadn't been a question. For a moment, Gru wasn't sure what to do. He reached out to touch her forehead. Her skin was cold to the touch and Margo shivered. Gru took a soft blanket from underneath the couch and carefully wrapped Margo in it and picked her up. She whimpered and a few tears slid down her face even though she tried hard not to cry.

"Shh… eets okay," Gru murmured as he carried his oldest daughter down to the underground lair. Catching sight of Gru and identifying the shivering bundle in his arms, a large following of concerned minions soon accompanied them down through the labs. When they stopped moving and Margo's vision settled again, she found herself gazing at a warm fire, still bundled in a blanket and held securely in Gru's arms. As the warmth spread from all directions, Margo felt the pain lessening. Gru could feel her tense body relaxing in his arms. He too began to relax at the knowledge that the warmth was helping. It must have been pretty bad for Margo to so willingly admit to being in pain this time. He was glad she was beginning to feel better, but he wished she hadn't been in pain all the same.

"I shoold have tryed to keep yoo warmer upstayrs, Margo. I deedn't know eet would hurt so badly to be cold. I'm sorry." Margo's eyes were sleepily closing as she was being lulled to sleep by the warmth and the temporary absence of pain.

"It's… okay… " she whispered disjointedly.

"I love yoo Margo," Gru whispered softly, reminding her of his promise.

"I love you too," she murmured in response. It was difficult and unfamiliar to her to say, but she meant it. Gru was touched by her small words and looked down at her with both wonder and adoration. Margo was falling asleep but managed to keep her eyes open long enough to smile sleepily up at Gru. She turned her head toward his warm chest and relaxed fully, trusting him to hold her and keep her safe. Gru's heart clenched within his chest at the realization that nobody had ever held this girl that she could remember. He fully intended to make up for it. Gru felt incredibly content, holding the daughter he least expected to ever say she loved him. He held her close and stroked her hair. She mumbled incoherently and within seconds she was fast asleep, breathing freely and evenly as her pain was temporarily forgotten. Some of the minions shuffled closer, trying to be helpful.

"Epa doh la papo nuga?" The whispered offer of help caught Gru's attention. He looked over the chair arm to see a veritable army of quietly fidgeting and very eager minions.

"Go get some more blankeets pleese," Gru whispered to some of them. As soon as they returned, Gru carefully wrapped Margo's sleeping body in more blankets until she was warmly cocooned and cushioned by all the soft fabric surrounding her. She did not wake as Gru carried her back upstairs.

Agnes and Edith were watching a unicorn movie on the large TV in the living room but paused it and looked up when Gru walked in. He sat down on the couch with them and they snuggled up to his sides, looking curiously at the bundle in his arms. Upon recognizing that it was Margo fast asleep and wrapped snugly in blankets, they leaned against their father and sister and continued watching the movie. They all fell asleep and the movie ended, leaving them in darkness. Agnes and Edith woke later on that night and trailed sleepily to their room. Margo slept on. Gru woke, his neck sore from sleeping sitting up, but didn't move to avoid waking Margo. It was late at night - almost midnight.

Gru was reluctant to take Margo back to her room. Dr. Nefario, as well as the doctor at the hospital, had predicted that Margo would probably have nightmares related to her abuse. Gru didn't want her to relive that terrible suffering and then wake alone and afraid. She might try to get up, fall, and hurt herself in the dark. He was also concerned that she might get too cold and wake in pain again.

His mind made up, Gru stood slowly and carried Margo to his large bed. After getting ready to go to sleep again, Gru laid down beside his bundled-up child, her back against his chest. He pulled her close to keep her warm and began to fall asleep as well. He could hear her rhythmic, soft breaths as she slept deeply. Her head was tucked underneath his chin. Her hair still smelled like the hospital. It made Gru grimace, remembering the horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach when he didn't know if she was going to be okay.

In the dark, Gru's imagination ran wild. He imagined what it would have been like if Margo hadn't survived, what it would have been like if Miss Hattie had killed her, or if he hadn't been able to rescue her from Vector's ship. His inner villain knew he was being ridiculous, but he consciously knew he had changed. He knew this girl meant more than anything to him. With something near alarm, he realized she meant more to him that even his life of villainy. They all did, and he found he didn't really mind. He found himself holding Margo tightly and loosened his arm to keep from hurting her ribs.

"I love you, Margo," he whispered in the dark and focused on her breathing rhythm to reassure him that she was okay. Eventually, Gru felt himself relaxing and falling asleep. He was almost asleep when Margo's breath hitched. Instantly alert, Gru waited to see if she would wake or not. She trembled suddenly and mumbled in her sleep.

"N-no…" she murmured. Gru's blood froze.

Margo was having a nightmare.

_Miss Hattie was angry again. Edith and Agnes cowered behind their row of beds while Margo huddled protectively over them, desperately hoping they wouldn't be seen. She managed to shove Agnes under the bed as the clopping of heels came closer. Margo pushed Edith down and crouched beside her as the footsteps came closer. Margo held her breath, body going completely stiff. She glanced to Edith beside her and saw her sister's eyes go wide. When Margo turned back, she was face to face with a very angry Miss Hattie._

_Margo couldn't even distinguish what the woman said, all she knew was that within seconds she found herself grabbed and lifted by the collar of her jacket and shaken violently, and then flung to the side where she hit her head against the wall. She trembled in fear and pain as she tried to make herself as small as possible against the wall. She heard Miss Hattie threaten Edith and in a desperate attempt to save her sister, Margo cried out against the massive woman. _

_"N-no!" Miss Hattie turned and returned to the girl's side and grabbed her by the shoulders, snarling furious and unintelligible words in her face and shaking her, hard. The smell of alcohol on the woman's breath was overwhelming. Margo knew how the dream continued, and desperately wanted to keep from going there. She felt herself rising back into consciousness…_

Gru was desperately trying to wake Margo. He was shaking her as hard as he could without injuring her, calling her name. Margo's eyes flew open and she gave a small cry of panic. The blotchy visage of Miss Hattie changed suddenly into Gru's pointed features which were fraught with concern. Tears leaked from the corners of Margo's eyes, her face a mask of shock and pain.

"Eets okay," Gru murmured soothingly, pulling Margo into his lap. "Eet was onlee a dream."

Margo had handfuls of his nightshirt clenched tightly in her hands and was sobbing brokenly into his chest.

"She… she… uhh…" Margo shuddered in pain and horror. She could almost feel the way Miss Hattie had beaten her. She could feel the ghostly pain of those broken ribs from months before, even though they had long since healed. Most of all, she could feel the raw terror at the thought that the woman might hurt Edith and Agnes and she could do nothing to stop it.

"I… tried to protect Edith… Miss Hattie… broke my ribs… hurts…" Margo sobbed from the fright of the nightmare/memory and the real pain from the more recent bruises on her ribs and back. Gru stiffened at the new information. He hadn't realized Miss Hattie had been _that_ abusive toward his girls. He carefully held Margo and stroked her hair to calm her while his own mind ran through thoughts of revenge on the woman who had hurt her.

"She didn't get Edith," Margo murmured, relaxing as she mentally arrived at the end of the memory. Her sisters hadn't really understood what had happened, only that Margo spent the next few days laid up in bed, holding her side as the ribs mended. Fortunately, they had healed in the right position and had no lasting physical consequences. The psychological damage, however, remained.

Once over his flare of anger, Gru held his still trembling child close to his warm body.

"I'm so sorry, Margo. She weel get what ees comeeng for her. Shh," he said trying to calm her. "I won't let her hurt yoo ever again, and I'll never let yoo go again. I promeese."

He gently stroked her hair and could feel her body relax as her hands loosened and finally released their death grip on his shirt. He was amazed at the effect that simple, gentle caress could have on Margo. She had practically melted into calmness and was slumped over in his arms, nearly asleep.

"Thank you," she whispered into his sleeve.

"Yoo're welcome," he replied softly, and gently lowered her to the bed again. Her eyes flew open and her small hand reached out toward him as she felt herself being unexpectedly lowered, but Gru simply took her hand in his to reassure her and laid down beside her. She whimpered softly in pain as the bruises on her back and side made contact with the mattress, but soon relaxed again. She now lay on her left side cradled against Gru's chest. Her face was buried in his soft shirt.

Margo had never felt so comfortable in her entire life. She had often woken up crying out from nightmares in the orphanage, and had to explain them away in quite creative ways to her sisters. It was nice to just be herself, to just be held and loved and cared for in a way she had never known before. She breathed deeply and began to drift off to sleep again, but a notion caught her attention and kept her awake momentarily. After some thought, she opened her eyes and looked up at Gru's face. Her movement made him look down in concern.

"I love you," she said simply. It was easier to say this time. She had practiced it in her mind before hand and it felt really good to say out loud. Bringing one hand up to stroke her hair, Gru smiled gently at her and pulled her close.

"I love yoo too."

She leaned into his hand and sighed peacefully, breathing in his now-familiar scent. Within moments, she was fast asleep, warm and safe in her adoptive father's arms. Gru's tired face broke into a broad smile. _She loved him._ He bent his head down and gently kissed the top of Margo's head. She didn't move, she was so deeply asleep. Convinced that she would sleep through the rest of the night, Gru let sleep overcome him. Even while asleep, he remained partially alert for the slightest movement or sound of waking from Margo, for who knew what other nightmarish abuses she had suffered and might relive in the dark.


	5. Chapter 5

Be warned, this chapter is about twice as long as the previous ones. I really didn't want to break it up since I know some readers are eager to find out what happens to Miss Hattie. I used the only DM-world-based concept I had in mind. I could change it if given a better idea, but as for now it stands as called. Enjoy - BH

**Previously: **

**(Margo had a rough night.)**

_Margo's breath hitched in her sleep._

_"N-no…" she murmured. Gru's blood froze. _

_"Eets okay," Gru murmured soothingly, pulling Margo into his lap. "Eet was onlee a dream."_

…

_Gru stiffened at the new information. He hadn't realized Miss Hattie had been that abusive toward his girls. _

…

_"I love you," she said simply. It was easier to say this time._

_"I love yoo too."_

Margo had no more bad dreams that night. Both she and Gru slept soundly until past sunrise. Gru woke first to find his eldest daughter still curled up against his side. The bandage on her face had fallen off somewhat, and Gru was careful not to touch the exposed wound as he examined it. It looked better than it had before. It had scabbed over under the dissolving layer of glue and was no longer bleeding freely without the pressure of the bandage. The bruises around it still looked rough but they were now fading Gru realized with relief.

Gru carefully clambered out of the bed, leaving Margo asleep while he retrieved the bag with her medicine in it. He decided to go ahead and apply the medicine while she was asleep in the hopes that she wouldn't feel the pain it brought. She didn't wake as he gently smeared it across the gash in her face. Gru couldn't hear Edith and Agnes awake yet. He pressed a new piece of gauze on Margo's face but didn't wrap the bandage around her head yet. Deciding to let her sleep, he pulled the warm blanket back over Margo's shoulders and quietly left the room to make pancakes for breakfast. He wasn't careful of the noise he made. He wanted Edith and Agnes to wake up soon and if Margo heard him in the kitchen, she wouldn't worry as much about where he was.

Margo woke still encased in warmth. She was drowsy but unafraid of being alone. She could remember how she had fallen asleep; wrapped in Gru's arms and surrounded by warm assurances of his love and care. She opened her eyes to see the spikes above her on the headboard and the familiar blankets that had surrounded her all evening. She stretched, groaning as her sore body moved. In a way, it felt good. Her ribs were not broken now. Her back felt better, so she sat up against a pillow. Mindful of the wound on her face, Margo carefully put her glasses on. She could feel that the swelling in her left wrist had gone down and the bandage on it had loosened accordingly. She pushed the covers back and carefully lowered herself off of the high bed. She swayed slightly and realized suddenly how hungry and thirsty she was. She could hear Gru in the kitchen, so she carefully made her way toward his voice, guiding herself along the walls.

Margo could hear her sisters' voices as she got closer to the kitchen.

"Yes! Mine looks like a ninja star!" That was Edith, obviously.

"Is that a unicorn?" Agnes asked, dubiously.

"Eet ees eendeed," Gru's laughing voice answered. "Eef yoo eat eet, yoo weel be part unicorn, too." Agnes squealed in delight and Margo smiled as she heard the rapid clink of silverware on the plate that followed.

Gru looked over immediately when he heard Margo shuffle into the room.

"Good morneeng, Margo. Eet's good to see yoo on yoor feet." She smiled at him in response as he walked over and put a hand on her shoulder, looking her up and down for signs of pain. Seeing none, he guided her to sit down beside Agnes, who looked up from her mostly-devoured pancake unicorn in concern.

"Are you all better now, Margo?" Agnes asked, innocent eyes glowing in worry as she looked from Margo's wrapped arm to the bandage stuck to her face.

"I'm getting better, Agnes. Don't worry," Margo reassured her youngest sister, fluffing the girl's tufted ponytail as she spoke. Agnes smiled, reassured, and continued eating her pancake.

"What are you going to do to Miss Hattie?" Edith asked suddenly. Margo paused, stiffening as feelings of fear and pain flashed through her mind at the very mention of the woman's name. Gru saw Margo's discomfort and stepped in on her behalf.

"I weel deel weeth Meess Hattie myself. Don't yoo worry," he said, rubbing Margo's back. She relaxed slightly, though her eyes still held a slightly haunted look.

"Later today or perhaps tomorrow I weel pay her a veeseet and… set t'eengs straight," he said, in response to Margo and Edith's common unspoken question as he put a large smiley-face pancake on a plate in front of Margo.

"But for now, I'd like to see dat face on yoo," he said, looking from the pancake to Margo. This elicited a small grin from the girl, though she avoided moving her face too much as the wound on her face was stinging slightly. Nevertheless, Margo ate voraciously. She hadn't felt well enough to eat since pizza the afternoon before and was very hungry.

Gru set a small glass of 2% milk before her and her smile grew.

"Thank you," she said to him, not only for the drink, but for remembering precisely what she liked to drink with breakfast. It showed he cared about her that he would recall the little things she liked. He smiled warmly, understanding her extra gratitude as she looked from the glass to him. He rubbed her back briefly before returning to the stove to prepare his own breakfast.

Gru sat down at the end of their little kitchen booth and ate with them.

"We have dance class today, right Mr. Gru?" Edith asked, looking up.

"Can Margo come?" Agnes asked, excited.

Gru and Margo looked dubiously at the younger girls.

"I don't theenk yoor seester ees quite up to de danceeng today," Gru said. "Yoo steel need more resteeng to heal up all de way," he said now looking at Margo. She nodded in agreement.

"I'll come next week, guys," she said to appease them. Edith nodded understandingly. Agnes frowned.

"Pinky promise?" The little girl held out her pinky, a stubborn look on her face. Margo looked unsure for a moment, then agreed.

"If I'm better, I will come next week," she said, pinky-promising her little sister, who yelled in excitement and ran off to get dressed for dance class closely followed by Edith. When they were gone, Gru turned to his eldest.

"How bout yoo come weeth us, and I weel drop dem off at dance class, and den we can go somewhere, just yoo and I?" Margo's face split into a huge grin.

"I'd like that a lot!" She exclaimed, jumping up from her seat and hugging him. She almost fell over but he caught her and set her back on her feet.

"Careful," he admonished gently. "De heet to yoor head's gonna make yoo a leetle unbalanced for a while. No runneeng." She nodded soberly, but he continued.

"All de same, I'm very glad yoo feel like runneeng and jumpeeng around now." She smiled at him as he stood and began clearing dishes from the table. He didn't wash them yet, but set them in the sink for later and turned back to Margo.

"Let's go to de leeveeng room for a while. I need to check on yoor eenjurees." Margo obliged and sat on the crocodile couch while he retrieved the backpack with her supplies. He knelt in front of her and took off her glasses to examine her face. The cream was still there, but the gauze was falling off. Instead of wrapping the bandage all the way around her head like it had been before, Gru simply taped the gauze on over the wound.

"Dere. Dat's better. Yoo don't look so much like a mummy now," he said, tapping her chin which elicited a short giggle. He was glad that touching her face didn't cause her as much pain as before. The painful swelling around the wound had gone down and the bruises were starting to fade. He then focused his attention on her left arm. He could feel that the swelling had gone down and it was ready for the brace they had been given.

"Don't try to move eet when I take dees off," Gru warned as he unwrapped the bandage. "I'm goeeng to move yoor wreest some to check eet. Tomorrow yoo can try to move eet yoorself." Margo nodded and the final wrapping came off. Carefully taking her tiny hand in his, Gru started by moving her hand in circles. Some swelling remained but nothing grated under Gru's fingers and her wrist was flexible enough to ease some of his concern. He carefully straightened her fingers, noticing with relief that the tendons were still loose and allowed a full extension. It was when he wrapped his fingers around her wrist from on top of her hand that Margo flinched and pulled away sharply. Her eyes dilated and all of a sudden she could feel manicured nails biting into her skin and a large hand wrenching her wrist so painfully…

"Margo? What's wrong?" Gru's voice brought her back to reality. She found herself curled up and trembling on the couch. She wasn't in the alley, and Miss Hattie was nowhere to be found. She sighed in relief.

"I… I was just remembering…" she stammered in relief. That was when Gru noticed that the bruises on her wrist were in the shape of fingers. In horror, he realized that his fingers had essentially covered exactly where the bruises were, creating a flashback of the original injury.

"Oh Margo, I'm so sorry," he said, his face a mask of guilt. He pulled her into a gentle hug to calm her. It worked and soon she was looking at him apologetically.

"It's okay," she said. "I guess I just got scared for a moment, that's all. You didn't hurt me."

"But SHE deed," he said, eyes darkening. "We weel make dis right, I promeese. And yoo know I would NEVER hurt yoo."

"I know," she said, her eyes trusting but still worried. "I know."

Gru was careful not to hold her wrist in the pattern of the bruises as he carefully fastened the brace around Margo's wrist and arm. He kept talking to distract her from the traumatic flashbacks.

"Dere. If dat gets too heavy, I have a sleeng yoo can put eet en."

"This should be okay. Thank you," Margo said gratefully as the pressure of the brace helped reduce the pain. It felt almost as if it was holding her arm together and it was reassuring. That, and it was warm which felt very good as it had started to ache. Gru had washed and mended Margo's previously bloodied clothes the best he could and with difficulty Margo managed to dress herself in her usual skirt and t-shirt. She decided to forego the button-down, as she didn't want to deal with buttons using only one hand. She found with much exasperation that the jacket would not fit over the brace on her arm, so she left it behind when she returned to the living room.

Edith and Agnes soon ran in with their dancing dresses on and they all went out to Gru's vehicle. The younger two fiddled around with Margo's brace curiously as they made their way to the dance studio. Upon arrival, Margo stayed inside the machine while Gru walked the younger girls inside.

"I'm goeeng to take Margo weeth me on some… errands," Gru said to Edith and Agnes. "I weel be back to peeck yoo up when dance class ees over."

"Okay, see ya Mr. Gru," Edith called over her shoulder as she eagerly ran inside.

"Okay, um… can I call you Daddy?" Agnes asked, innocent eyes holding a hint of trepidation. Gru's momentarily shocked face broke into a huge smile.

"Ov course yoo can, keeten. I was hopeeng yoo would." The tiny girl jumped up and down happily.

"Yayyy! Okay, _Daddy._ See you when you get back!" Then Agnes skipped away, not seeing a small tear of happiness make its way down Gru's cheek. He hastily wiped it away and returned to his vehicle where Margo was waiting. He frowned slightly as he remembered what Margo had said to him the first night they had spent in his house.

_'You will never be my dad.'_

He hated himself for what he'd said afterwards.

_'I theenk I can leeve weeth dat."_

That phrase haunted him now, especially since it wasn't true. Not anymore. He wasn't sure if he could live with himself knowing Margo would never see him as her dad because of the way he had treated them. He thought that the best he could do was try to make up for it now and see if Margo would call him dad someday. He knew it might take time, and he was perfectly willing to wait.

Gru climbed into the silver machine and looked back at Margo, who was staring at him eagerly.

"So where are we going?" she asked, her excitement contagious.

"I was theenkeeng we would go to get some ice creem?" Gru asked, a smile playing on his face. Margo's jaw dropped.

"That would be wonderful!" She exclaimed, clenching her fists in eager anticipation.

Gru smiled, satisfied, and sat down behind the wheel and drove to the local ice cream parlor. It was next door to the small bakery he frequented. Upon stepping out of the vehicle with Margo at his side, he realized that it was a little chilly. Margo was wearing only her t-shirt as her jacket wouldn't fit over the brace on her arm. Gazing at her concernedly as they walked, Gru saw her shiver slightly. That wouldn't do - if she got too cold, she might start hurting again like she did the night before. He quickly unzipped his own jacket and draped it over Margo's slim shoulders. It dwarfed her and she looked up in surprise.

"Thanks," she said, surprised at the unexpected kindness.

"Can't have yoo getteeng cold, can we," he said, ushering her inside. It was chilly inside as well because of the ice cream. Margo was amazed at all the choices as she had never been in an ice cream parlor before. The two attracted many stares, a few of them judgmental as they saw the bandage and bruises on Margo's face. Fortunately for them, they didn't say anything and Gru and Margo got their ice cream without incident and sat down by a window.

"Any special reason you brought me here?" Margo asked perceptively. Gru smiled at her.

"Yoo had a rough night. I was hopeeng dis might make up for eet."

"It wasn't your fault," Margo protested.

"Some of eet was," Gru said regretfully. "Besidees, can't I take my daughter out for ice creem once een a while?"

"I suppose so…" Margo said, a smile growing on her face. She still wondered if there was an ulterior motive to this unexpected kindness. Then she remembered what he had told her the night before and smiled. He loved her. It made more sense now. Love meant doing something for someone just because you want them to be happy. The ice cream cone in her hand and the warmness in his eyes was plenty of evidence for her.

Soon they were done and walked back to Gru's vehicle. They stepped inside the steel behemoth, but instead of heading to the cockpit, Gru led Margo over to a small couch.

"We need to talk," Gru said simply. Margo understood. It was about Miss Hattie and they both knew it. Gru could tell she was getting nervous so he sat down beside her.

"Dis might not be easy," he warned. She nodded and moved closer.

"What she deed to yoo ees unacceptable, even in veellain terms. I know she has done wurse to yoo dan dees." Margo simply nodded, her body stiff as she fought off memory after memory of abuse.

"Yoo don't have to tell me all dat she deed to yoo right now," Gru said, noticing Margo's discomfort. "But I would like to offer one t'eeng to yoo." She looked up in curiosity.

"Would yoo like to decide how to puneesh her?" Margo's eyes widened before filling with tears as she broke down again.

"N-no," she cried. "I… just never, EVER, want to see her again. I don't want to ever go back there! I want the memories to go away! PLEASE, Mr. Gru… make them stop!" He could see her mental torment as she sobbed, her tears soaking the bandage on her face. Perhaps it had been too soon to bring the topic up. All Gru could do was hold his daughter as she cried. He stroked her hair, recalling the calming effect it had on her the night before. It seemed to work again as her body relaxed and the heartrending sobs eased.

"I'm sorry, keeten," he said gently as he pulled her onto his lap, still stroking her hair. "Yoo weell never have to go back dere again. I promeese. We weel make new memorees and yoo weel forget dat terrible place."

He could tell he was losing her, as his words had inadvertently reminded her of the abuse. Her tears and trembling had intensified.

"Margo," he called to her, rocking her back and forth in his arms. "I love yoo. I love yoo. I weel never let yoo go again. Yoo're my gurl. My daughter. Yoo're safe." He murmured reassuring words to her over and over, rocking her and stroking her hair until she was fast asleep in his arms. He sighed in both relief and regret. It HAD been too soon for her. Nevertheless, she had gotten her position on the matter across quite well. She never wanted to see Miss Hattie again. Gru knew he could take care of that.

He lifted his sleeping daughter and laid her down in a plush beanbag chair on the other side of the machine. Her weight pushed it down to where it was securely cradling her. He wedged it in a corner so that if the machine were to swerve, she would not fall out and get hurt. It was nearing time to get the younger girls from dance class. Gru carefully covered Margo's sleeping body with his coat and drove to the studio.

Gru walked in to accompany his younger daughters out to the vehicle, warning them to stay quiet because Margo was asleep. As they passed the beanbag, Edith noticed still-damp tear tracks on Margo's face. This worried the younger girl. Margo hardly ever cried. The last time she had cried as far as they had seen was after she had woken up screaming one night. Edith decided to talk with Gru about it after they got home. The ride back was spent in general silence as they wanted to avoid waking Margo.

By the time they arrived, the tear marks on Margo's sleeping face had mostly dried and Agnes did not notice anything out of the ordinary as Gru carried Margo inside. She didn't wake and was even snoring lightly by the time they reached the hallway where the bedrooms were. Agnes ran to the living room while Gru split off to the girls' bedroom to lay Margo down. Edith followed him silently, intent on asking him what was REALLY the matter with Margo.

Edith waited in the hallway as Gru carried her sister into the bedroom. Gru carefully lay Margo down in her bomb-bed. He smoothed her hair back, kissed her forehead, and tucked the blanket around her shoulders. He left the room but did not shut the door. He was startled to see Edith standing right in front of him as he turned toward the living room. She beckoned him to follow her and he did. They ended up in the kitchen.

"Dad, what's REALLY wrong with Margo?" The whispered question took Gru off guard. He hadn't expected Edith to call him Dad, but apparently she and Agnes had discussed it and seen fit to adopt the term. He smiled at that, but looked worried at the question. He led her to the table and they sat down.

"Edith, dat terrible woman treated Margo very badly, deedn't she?" Edith nodded.

"Yes. Worse than she treated me and Agnes. Nobody else saw, because she always wore long sleeves, but she had bruises on her arms pretty often. I saw them while she was asleep. I saw Miss Hattie hitting her too. She never hit me or Agnes very often. I don't think she hit Agnes at all, but she HATED Margo. I don't know why."

"Well, dat's what's wrong weeth Margo," Gru said. "She's haveeng problems from beeng hurt so much. Deed she ever wake up een de night cryeeng?"

"Yes," Edith answered, eyes wide. "Pretty often, actually. I don't think Agnes noticed, because she slept on the other side of me. Sometimes Margo would wake up screaming. She told us it was nothing, but I guess it was something after all."

"Yes," Gru said wearily, putting a hand on his middle child's shoulder. "Yes eet was."

"Will she get better now that we're here? You won't ever send us back, will you?" Edith asked, the beginnings of panic showing up in her eyes.

"NO! I would NEVER send yoo back," Gru exclaimed, embracing Edith tightly. "Een fact, that ees one theeng I wanted to talk to yoo about. Margo weell get better, but eet weel take some time. I asked her what she wanted to do to puneesh Meess Hattie, and all she wanted was to never see her again." Edith pulled back from the embrace and nodded. That sounded like Margo. Gru continued.

"Seence yoo were also hurt by dees woman, I thought I would ask yoo next. What do yoo want to do to her?" Edith sat in thought for a moment. Gru was relieved to see that she was relatively calm and unaffected by memories of abuse, for she had few to recall.

"Do you remember what I said when you first brought Margo home from the hospital?" Edith asked, a mischievous smile dancing in her eyes.

"Somet'eeng about Kyle, was eet?" Gru asked, vaguely remembering.

"I want us to shrink Miss Hattie with the shrink ray and then feed her to Kyle!" Edith exclaimed, jubilant and no longer whispering.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Agnes said from the doorway she had just entered. "Can we do it Daddy, pweease?" Her big eyes were very persuasive, though Gru didn't need much encouragement. A vengeful fire burned in his dark eyes now. He needed revenge for what the woman had done to his girls.

"Eef dat's what yoo want to do, den we weell do eet," he said, a very evil smile spreading over his face.


	6. Chapter 6

EVEN LOOONGGERRR! Enjoy the nomming, for this is the second to last chapter. - BH

Previously:

_"Dad, what's REALLY wrong with Margo?" _

…

_"Seence yoo were also hurt by dees woman, I thought I would ask yoo next. What do yoo want to do to her?"_

…

_"I want us to shrink Miss Hattie with the shrink ray and then feed her to Kyle!"_

…

_A vengeful fire burned in his dark eyes now. He needed revenge for what the woman had done to his girls._

…

Edith had been smiling but stopped upon seeing the look in Gru's eyes.

"Wait… you mean actually have him eat her all up?" He nodded.

"But wouldn't that be…. uh, fatal?" Edith asked, looking dubious now.

"Eet ees what she deserves," Gru snarled. He looked furious but the younger girls understood that the anger wasn't directed at them.

"But… why?" Agnes asked, moving closer. Gru's eyes softened as she approached. He pulled her onto his lap.

"Agnes, yoo know how meester Vector was, right? He was utterly selfeesh. He only wanted de moon because I had eet, and he only wanted yoo gurls because I had yoo. Dat ees how I was before I met yoo t'ree too. Dees ees how Meess Hattie ees now, only she's worse. She hurt yoo gurls and she must be puneeshed and kept from hurteeng anybody else." The little girl nodded, not quite understanding but generally complacent, content in her position on his lap.

"If yoo can, I want to know what she deed to yoo two and to Margo. Everyt'ing yoo can remember. I'll start weeth yoo, Agnes. Den I weel talk to Edith while yoo go play weeth Dave. He was askeeng for yoo."

"Okay Daddy," she said, brown eyes looking up at him. "Miss Hattie wasn't nice like you. She never put us on her lap and she was always making Margo and me and Edith clean her stuff. When we didn't do it right, she'd threaten to put us in the box of shame. It was really scary, Daddy. She's so tall and her face is so BIG, I thought she might eat me. I was lucky she never actually put me in the box with the lid."

"What else?"

"Umm, I think that's it. I saw her do stuff to Edith and Margo, but that's all that happened to me."

"Dat's good, keeten. Yoo may go play now." Agnes smiled delightedly and hopped off of his lap, calling for the minion as she ran from the room. Once she had gone, Gru turned to the middle child.

"Ees dat all she deed to Agnes?" He asked searchingly.

"Yeah. She wasn't mean to Agnes much. She never hit her or shut her in the box or anything. I was kind of jealous, but Margo told me to be glad for her since she wouldn't have to hurt like we did. I think I get it now, now that Margo's hurt so bad." Edith looked down, unhappily. Gru could see she too had weighty memories. He smiled sadly and pulled her into his lap. She squeaked in surprise at first but found that she quite enjoyed it up there and looked up at him from the comfort of his arms.

"What deed she do to yoo?" He asked gently, pushing her beanie back from her eyes.

"Well, she didn't hit me much. Sometimes she'd sort of slap me but I was too fast for her most of the time. She'd get mad at me because I'd make messes. I brought her a mud pie one day just before you got us, and she was really upset about it. She made me spend hours cleaning her desk even though the mud wasn't there anymore." Then Edith paused and looked down dejectedly.

"And den what?"

"And then… she told me nobody would ever adopt me. I said 'I know,' " Gru took in a sharp breath at this information. What kind of terrible person would tell a child nobody would ever adopt them? Edith swiped her shirt sleeve across her eyes, desperately trying to hide her tears.

"Oh Edith, yoo know dat's not true…"

"I know," she said, a smile beginning to make its way on her face. "She lied. You adopted me. You adopted all of us." She paused and looked up into Gru's eyes. He could see they were still brimming with tears.

"Thank you," she said simply and hugged him tightly. "I'm so happy now." He hugged her back fiercely, tears burning behind his own eyes. He forced the knot in his throat down and rubbed her back.

"I am too," he said, smiling. Edith stayed in his arms peacefully for a few moments before pulling back.

"So… what ARE you going to do to her?"

"I have some plans ovf my own," Gru said, a glint of malice appearing in his eyes. "But like I promeesed Margo, none of yoo weel EVER see dat awful woman again," then to himself he mumbled "no one weel."

Edith, tired of the seriousness their discussion had involved, opted to go find Agnes and Dave for some playtime. It was getting late in the afternoon - the sun was almost setting. Gru decided it was time to make dinner. He made his way briefly to the girls' room to check on Margo. She was still sleeping peacefully and gentle examinations indicated that she was neither in pain nor was she having a nightmare. Gru knew she needed to sleep in order to heal, so he let her be while he made dinner. Gru called the girls away from their game to eat.

"Gurls, Margo ees steel asleep. I weel wake her een a few moments for her to eat deennur. I t'eenk tonight she weel sleep in yoor room een her bed. I want yoo to watch out for her lyke she has watched out for yoo. Eef she wakes up and ees hurteeng or has a nyghtmare, yoo need to come wake me up okay?" The younger girls nodded gravely and continued to eat while Gru made his way to their room to retrieve Margo.

Meanwhile, Margo had woken. She found herself comfortably ensconced in her bomb bed. It held her like a cradle and was so very soft and nice. The physical comfort she was in allowed her to recount the day analytically - keeping her emotions at a distance. The last thing she wanted was for the flashbacks and memories to interrupt her drowsy contemplations.

She recalled Gru's care at breakfast and for ice cream. She smiled. The corners of her mouth were still a little sticky and sweet. The smile left as she recalled their discussion. Her decision never wavered - she never EVER wanted to see Miss Hattie again. Running through Gru's many reassurances of his love and the evidence of his care, Margo consciously decided to trust Gru that he would make sure she never saw the woman again. This reassuring thought calmed the girl and in the dark and quiet, she began to drift back to sleep. She was almost past the verge of consciousness when she heard footsteps quietly enter the room. She didn't move - she was so relaxed she felt comfortably numb and was thoroughly unwilling to wake.

Gru walked in the room to see Margo as he had left her before starting dinner - fast asleep in bed. He put a hand on the metal rim of the bed and looked at his sleeping child. Her face was still dark with bruises but she seemed altogether peaceful. He smoothed her hair back from her forehead, feeling for a fever. He was relieved to find that her forehead was a normal temperature. The touch seemed to rouse Margo slightly as her breathing pattern changed. She felt the numbness leaving her limbs as she woke.

"Margo," he called quietly as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Wake up."

Gru smiled as she groggily opened her eyes. She managed to focus her eyes on his face and smiled slightly, still very sleepy.

"I know yoo need yoor sleep, but yoo also need to eat deennur. Yoo weel feel better once yoo have eaten."

"Okay," she said, her voice scratchy from disuse. Gru helped her sit up, she groggily reached for her glasses, missed by a mile, and closed her hand on air. Gru looked at her concernedly and put her glasses on her face.

"That's better," she said to reassure him and he helped her get up. She swayed slightly once on her feet and did not resist when Gru swept her up into his arms and carried her to the table. She didn't talk much as she ate. Twice she almost nodded off and face-planted in her food. Gru was worried - why was she so groggy? He decided to take her to the lab after dinner and have Nefario run some tests. While Margo and her sisters ate, Gru paid the elderly inventor a visit in the lab.

"'Ello lad. What brings you hear this time o' night?" Nefario asked, turning away from his new project.

"Ah, Nefario. Yoo are steel up to date een yoor medeecal doctorate?"

"Indeed I am. Is somefink wrong?" Nefario looked concerned as Gru began to pace.

"Margo ees… worryeeng me," Gru began. "She was abused at Meess Hatties long before they were sent back." Gru tactfully avoided the discussion about WHO sent them back for the time. Nefario noticed and had the decency to look guilty. "I don't know all dat de woman deed to her, but I t'eenk eet ees worse dan we theenk."

"I was talkeeng weeth her and I theenk both de nyghtmare she had last nyght and de flashbacks from our deescussion have… hurt her somehow. She's so groggy…" he said, coming to a stop before the doctor. "I'm worreed about her."

"Now lad, I'm no psychologist… but it sounds like she's severely traumatized by all of this. Small wonder too, all she's gone through…" Gru looked up sharply.

"What can we do to help her?" he asked.

"Therapy for one thing," Nefario said. "For another, I think I should examine her and make sure there are no other physical problems." Gru looked dubiously at him. Nefario sighed.

"She knows… doesn't she," he said dejectedly.

"Yes, yes she does," Gru said curtly. It was time for this discussion. Past time, probably.

"Look lad, I'm… I'm sorry now… for what I did. I thought it was for your own good, I really did. And part of it I will admit was my own selfishness. But seeing you after they went back was simply… awful. I've never had kids, never liked them much, but I… understand that they're important to you." Nefario said softly. "And I'm sorry I sent them back. It's not right to just return them like ill-fitting clothing. After seeing that poor child with all the bruises and cuts… I felt awful. I still feel awful Gru. I hope you can forgive me for that." Gru looked up sharply.

"Eet's not only me who yoo should ask for forgeeveness, Nefario. What yoo deed hurt dem worse dan eet hurt me. Dey were shut up een boxes for days on end, and yoo've seen what happened to Margo…" Gru trailed off, a look of pain on his face.

"At de moment, I just don't feel lyke I can say I forgeeve yoo and seencerely mean eet." Gru stood with his back to the doctor, waiting for some snarky comment or an outburst of indignant anger.

"I… understand, Gru." The reply was soft and ashamed. "I think the least I can do… for both you and the girl… Margo," he stressed her name, trying to gain some ground by remembering the child's name, "is to doctor her the best I can in the hopes that both she and you can forgive me for what I've done." Gru froze. The soft reply had been completely unexpected. He whirled around, and for the first time in a long time, saw Nefario without his goggles on. The unfamiliar grey eyes were almost pleading.

"Please, lad. Let me make this right." Nefario stuck out his hand - the one not holding the goggles and looked up at Gru, awaiting a response.

Gru was almost shocked at this apparent change of heart. He looked deep into the doctor's eyes and found nothing but guilt and an honest intent to help. Gru shook the gloved hand that was held out to him and smiled grimly.

"Very well, doctor. I weel breeng her down. I don't t'eenk I have to warn yoo what happens eef yoo do anyt'eeng bad to her." Nefario shook his head, his goggles had been replaced over his eyes and a grim smile covered his face as he set to work preparing an examining table.

When Gru arrived back upstairs, he found Agnes and Edith working on coloring books in the living room.

"Where's yoor seester?" Gru asked, puzzled at her absence.

"She's still eating. Or maybe she fell asleep," Edith answered absently. Gru felt a spike of anger since he'd asked them to take care of their sister, but shoved it away. They were only five and seven years old - much too young to know that leaving a sick person unsupervised is a bad idea. So was Margo, for that matter, but she was different. More mature. He knew she would have been responsible enough to take care of one of the younger girls if they had been sick, but right now Margo needed someone to take care of her.

Gru made his way quickly to the kitchen. Margo had dutifully eaten all her dinner even though she hadn't felt all that hungry. She was mostly sleepy and after finishing it she had laid down on the bench and fallen asleep again. She was woken by Gru putting a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked around to see his concerned face.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I fell asleep," she mumbled, straightening her glasses as he helped her sit up.

"It's okay, keeten. Ees eet okay if we go se Dr. Nefario? Yoo need a checkup weeth a real doctor." _and I'm worried about you,_ he added mentally.

"But… he sent us away," she looked at him in abject confusion. "How can I trust him?"

"Yoo can trust dat I weel make sure not'eeng bad happens. And for de record, he wants to make t'eengs right, so he agreed to help yoo."

"There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just tired," she said, sliding off the booth and onto her feet. Gru could see she was getting annoyed. It was probably time to go straight with her. He knelt down in front of her so they could see eye to eye.

"Dere may not be anyt'eeng wrong weeth yoo, but eef dere ees den we have to feex eet. Yoo have slept almost all day and yoo're steel tired… I'm worreed about yoo." The look in his eyes at that last sentence melted Margo's frustration. She looked down in thought. To have somebody worried about her was a foreign concept. She'd thought he was trying to antagonize her by making her see the man who had sent them away when he was actually concerned about her.

"I love yoo," he reminded her gently. This broke her out of her thoughts and she stepped forward to hug him.

"I love you too. I'll go see Dr. Nefario, but you can't leave me there alone with him." He could tell she was nervous about the prospect of being alone with another adult who didn't like her.

"I wasn't planneeng on eet," Gru said, standing up. "Can yoo walk?"

"I can try," Margo said with a yawn. She sleepily lifted a hand to her face as she made her way to the rhinoceros chair followed closely by Gru. He sat down and she let him pull her onto his lap. He held her securely as the chair rocketed across the room and the cannon dropped over them. His arms were warm and Margo was so sleepy... By the time they arrived in the lab, she was fast asleep. Gru's brow furrowed upon noticing this. He carried her and followed a pair of minions that had been sent to escort him to Nefario's makeshift clinic.

Gru was pleasantly surprised to find one of Nefario's old medical examination tables cleaned and covered with a mattress pad and blankets. The doctor was laying out an armful of implements on a nearby table and some of the minions were plugging in an array of machinery. Nefario looked up when Gru laid his sleeping daughter on the prepared table. She didn't react at all to the change in movement.

"See what I mean?" Gru asked, looking at the girl with such worry that Nefario became concerned as well.

"Is she okay with this?" Nefario asked, even though he knew Gru wouldn't force her into a situation like this - not now.

"Yes, she ees. She asked dat I not leave her, though."

"You won't have to. Here, put this over her until we've set everything up." The doctor handed a soft blanket to Gru, who looked at it with surprise before draping it over his sleeping daughter. It was a little chilly in the lab after all, but unusual that Nefario had thought of the girl's comfort. Nefario shooed the minions away from the cords on the back of the machinery long enough to keep them from damaging it and plugged it up himself. He peeled an adhesive off of a sticky pad attached to some wires, but paused before he approached his patient. Gru was looking apprehensively at the machines and had moved closer to the examination table.

"These are sensors, Gru. I want to monitor her heart rate through the examination and tests." Gru nodded but watched carefully as Nefario carefully stuck the adhesive pad to her chest just under the collar of her black t-shirt. He flipped a switch on the machine and a screen lit up displaying Margo's pulse. It was strong but slow as she slept.

"I need to do a blood test," Nefario informed Gru. "I'd rather take it now instead of later when she's awake. We will have to wake her for motion tests." Gru nodded his consent and he helped Nefario raise a vein on Margo's good arm. Gru gulped as the red liquid flowed into the test tube. He didn't like this one bit. His only solace was that Margo was asleep and wasn't feeling the pain or fear. Nefario didn't take much and quickly pressed a cloth to the wound. Gru automatically kept pressure on it while Nefario began preparing the test. He set it in one of the machines and let it run. The results would come in a few minutes.

"Okay, now for her injuries…"

"De wound on her face ees getteeng better, but yoo should look at eet." Nefario nodded as Gru gently peeled the tape off of Margo's skin and exposed the gash underneath.

"She did that with a pencil?" Nefario was almost aghast. "Crazy woman…" He mumbled guiltily, examining the wound. The glue had all but worn off and the wound had scabbed over.

"Dees ees what dey gave me at de hospeetal to put on eet," Gru said, offering the tube of ointment. Nefario examined it and nodded.

"This is good stuff. It's probably the reason it's healing so fast. Just keep this on it and keep it clean and covered and it will heal nicely. If there's a scar, I've invented a wonderful scar cream that will get rid of it in no time." Nefario was evidently proud of his invention. Gru smiled at the doctor, then returned his attention to his sleeping child.

"Dees is de only other t'eeng de doctor worked on," he said indicating Margo's braced arm. "He said eet ees not broken, but eet ees sprained." Nefario carefully unstrapped the velcro and slid it off Margo's wrist.

"One more thing," Gru said, stopping the doctor. "Whatever yoo do, do NOT hold her arm like this," he imitated the grip on his own left arm with his right hand. "Dat woman grabbed her like dat and eet scares her." Nefario's brow furrowed as he looked at the bruise pattern.

"She sure grabbed her hard. I imagine trauma has a lot to do with that fear. When it heals, you should work on desensitizing her to it so if somebody grabs her outside of the house, she isn't paralyzed by fear and flashbacks." Gru nodded. It made sense after all. She couldn't stay in the house ALL the time, as much as Gru would have preferred it.

"This brace should stay on for at least four more days. By then she should be fine. Is there anything else?"

"Her reebs and back. She was keecked and beaten dere and she told me dat de woman once broke her reebs. Dey healed back properly but I worry dat dey were re-eenjured."

"Okay, show me."

Gru carefully pulled the blanket back. He gulped, reluctant to mess with her clothes. He had never seen Margo's back and ribs - not only had it never been brought up, but he just felt awkward about it. She had always dressed herself and her sisters without his assistance. Gru glanced at Nefario for a moment. No, he'd rather do it himself. She was his daughter after all, and she trusted him, not Nefario. Gru gently pulled the hem of Margo's shirt up to reveal the first few rows of ribs and gasped, shocked. There were purple and brown bruises of many different ages all over her ribs, which were clearly visible beneath her skin - a testament to a long period of neglect and abuse. Even Nefario looked disturbed by the sight.

"Oh lad… that's… that's awful."

" I'm so sorry," he said, this time to Margo. He gently laid a hand on the tiny ribcage and carefully felt the ridges of her ribs. He came to a stop along her left side.

"There's a bump in a line along the bones here. I think this is where they were broken. It's probably a good thing she's asleep. I imagine this might bring a lot of painful flashbacks. None of the others are broken, which is a good sign. This bruises look terrible I know, but they should fade in a few weeks. See, the ones on her face are already improving." It was true. The bruises on Margo's forehead had lightened and some had disappeared altogether.

"Good," Gru muttered, still visibly disturbed at the sight. He carefully rolled Margo over, at which point she began to stir and moan. Nefario backed away, almost alarmed and definitely not interested in being the first person she saw upon waking. Gru took his place and with a hand on Margo's back, spoke softly to her. She opened her eyes and looked around in confusion.

"Eet's okay, Margo. Yoo fell asleep coming down here to see Dr. Nefario. Yoo're almost done - we just need to see yoor back and make sure everyt'eeng's okay dere." Margo looked around Gru and saw Nefario anxiously shifting from foot to foot.

"Okay, that's fine," Margo mumbled. Gru knew by her tone of voice that she wasn't sure about it, but was willing to go along.

"Don't worry," Gru said, rubbing her shoulders. "I'll be right here." His reassurance did not help at all, which worried Gru somewhat. Nevertheless, Margo settled onto her stomach and allowed Gru to carefully lift her shirt. She shut her eyes tight as Gru gave a cry of anguish, for she knew what he saw. Scars crisscrossed their way all over her back. Some were still a little raw.

"Oh Margo," Gru said, his voice breaking. "What has she done to yoo?" He bent over her, wrapping his arms around her as best as he could. It was obvious what had happened. Whip lash marks were unmistakable, especially in Gru and Nefario's line of work.

"Ees dees why yoo wear t'ree layers of clothes?" Gru asked softly. A lone tear tracked its way down Margo's cheek in answer. Her eyes were still screwed shut. Gru sighed sadly. It was obvious that Margo was ashamed of the marks.

"Yoo deed not'eeng to deserve dees," Gru said. "Dere's not a t'eeng een de world dat could justeefy dees, especially to yoo. Eet's okay… eet's okay," he said soothingly as more tears came. He pushed her shirt back down and carefully lifted her into his arms. He sat on the table and just held her as she trembled.

"Dees ees not yoor fault. She deed dees to yoo because she's an awful, truly eveel woman. She weel pay for what she has done to yoo. Like I promeesed, yoo weel never EVER see her again." Her face was buried in his chest for comfort. He wasn't sure if she had actually been listening, but evidently the warmth and soothing tone had worked to calm her significantly. Looking up, Gru could see Nefario standing there with a tube of something in his hand. It was the new scar cream, Gru realized and gave his friend a grateful smile.

"Leesten keeten," he said softly. "Nefario has a cream dat weel remove deese scars. Eef yoo let him, he weel put eet on and dey weel deesappear, okay?" She looked up in astonishment and seeing no hint of a lie on Gru's face, nodded briefly before burying her head into his shirt again.

"Okay, doctor. Be gentle," Gru warned gently. There was no anger in his voice - not even a hint of a threat. He was careful of that, knowing that Margo could hear every nuance in his voice from where she was. Gru gently pulled the back of her shirt up and she jerked as the cold cream came into contact with her skin. Nefario was almost sweating as he carefully applied the medicine and rubbed it in with shaking and ungloved hands.

"That's how you do it," he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "I'll let you have this, Gru. Let me know when you need some more." Truth be told, Nefario was shocked at the sheer brutality Miss Hattie had visited upon this innocent child. This was as bad as he'd seen in the villain world. Maybe worse, since it was on an innocent victim. Once the cream had soaked into her skin, Nefario tugged the shirt back down, concealing the terrible scars.

"You're a very strong little girl for making it through all of that," Nefario remarked quietly to Margo. "I really just want you to know that I'm sorry for sending you back. I didn't… I didn't think about what it would do to you… what she would do to you. I'm sorry." Nefario didn't dare ask for forgiveness just yet. Margo was motionless for just a moment, then she nodded just once. It was all the response Nefario could hope for.

"Okay Gru. That's all the examinations I think I can do today. Let me get the blood test…" The doctor turned to his machine and looked at the screen that displayed the test information.

"Negative… negative… negative… looks like she's healthy as far as diseases go," he told Gru. "There are a lot of white blood cells - she's still fighting off infection from all the cuts and the wound on her face. She's a bit anemic, but that's mostly from loss of blood and neglect. That could be what's making her so tired, but I imagine she's not sleeping well at night. Everything is scarier at night - especially traumatic memories. She still needs lots of rest, fluids, and care. That's all I've got."

"Thank yoo, Nefario," Gru said. "Especially for the scar cream. I'm sure that will help a lot." Nefario simply nodded as he turned his machines off. Gru pulled the wire and sticky pad off of Margo's skin and got to his feet, still holding her in his arms. She pulled away from Gru's shirt for a moment to look toward the doctor.

"Thank you," she said softly. Nefario heard her small voice and stiffened, but didn't turn around.

"You're welcome," he replied quietly as Gru carried his daughter out of the lab.

"Are yoo feeleeng okay, Margo?" Gru asked in concern as he handed her a cup of juice at the booth in the kitchen.

"I guess so," she replied. "Doctor Nefario was gentle. He didn't hurt me at all."

"Of course he deedn't. I wouldn't let heem," Gru said and sat down beside his daughter. They could hear Edith and Agnes playing with the minions in the living room. Gru motioned for Margo to drink up. She grimaced sleepily at him and did so.

"So I guess you saw my ribs, huh?" She said warily.

"Yes. Do dey hurt?" Gru asked in concern.

"A little. I can tell somebody was pressing them." She held her left arm close to her body. "It's not too bad. You had to examine them somehow." Gru nodded.

"And yoor back?" Gru asked, looking at her searchingly.

"It feels better," she said shortly, trying to avoid the memories. She yawned. Gru gently pushed some stray hairs away from her face.

"Do yoo want to sleep een yoor bed tonight, or do yoo theenk yoo might have more nyghtmares?" Margo thought for a moment.

"I… really don't know." Gru could tell she was having a hard time thinking straight from her exhaustion. "I…" she trailed off. She wanted to tell him she would be okay, that she would be strong and wouldn't be afraid, but she knew it would be a lie. "I don't know." Gru saw her hesitation and put an arm around her.

"Eet's okay. I don't want yoo to deal weeth yoor nyghtmares alone. Yoo've been through plenty today to cause dem tonight." Margo nodded, clearly comforted by his understanding.

"Yoo can stay weeth me tonight. Let's get yoo to bed, gurl. Yoo're about to fall asleep at de table." Margo smiled in relief. She was so tired. Her eyes were falling closed even as she shifted herself to the end of the booth. Gru scooped her up in his arms and carried her to his bedroom. He left for a moment to get Edith and Agnes ready for bed while Margo put her nightshirt on.

"Where's Margo?" Agnes asked as Gru tucked her into her bomb bed.

"She's steel very seeck. She had a veeseet weeth Dr. Nefario today and she's not feeleeng well, so she's stayeeng weeth me again tonight."

"What did he do to her?" Edith asked, worried.

"Eet was just a checkup, but Margo eesn't feeleeng well. Eef she were to sleep here, I wouldn't be able to take care of her very well. Get some sleep now, I'll see yoo een de morneeng." Gru kissed his younger daughters and tucked them in, then quietly closed the door and returned to his room.

Margo had managed to dress herself, but the bed was far too high for her to get up on her own. If she was healthy and not so tired she might have managed it but the bandage on her arm and her soreness and weakness made it impossible. Overcome with exhaustion, Margo let herself sink to the carpeted floor and fell asleep. Gru came into the room to find Margo lying on the floor beside the bed. After a moment of panic, he realized with relief that she had only been unable to get up on the bed and was simply asleep and not unconscious.

Gru carefully lifted his limp daughter and laid her comfortably in his bed. Her skin felt cold to the touch, so he wrapped her in an extra blanket and placed her underneath the comforter to keep warm while he got ready for bed. Gru put her glasses on the table beside the bed and once again lay down beside his sleeping daughter and pulled her close. She was deeply asleep and didn't notice the movement. Glad that she was safe in his arms, Gru fell asleep holding his child close and warm.

Late that night, Margo woke up with a start, breathing hard. She couldn't remember what nightmare woke her up, just that it had been bad. She was afraid, but upon noticing her surroundings she relaxed. She was trembling, but the warmth beside her was reassuring. She looked over to find Gru asleep, one arm still draped over her waist. She rolled over in his arms and buried her face in his chest as she had earlier that day. It was comfortingly warm. She could hear his heartbeat and its steadiness helped her relax. She wasn't as tired now and the nightmare had stirred her up considerably, but she felt herself slipping back to sleep.

She slept deeply for the rest of the night and she didn't have any more nightmares. She was still asleep when Gru woke the next morning. He realized she must have woken up sometime during the night for she had moved, but she didn't look too worse for wear. Margo stirred and opened her eyes. They were bright and lively, not dull and lifeless like they had been the day before.

"Good morneeng, keeten," Gru said and stroked her face.

"Good morning," Margo replied.

"How are yoo feeleeng?" Gru asked as she sat up.

"Better," she replied. He could tell she was feeling better. She had gotten a lot of rest and looked healthier.

"How 'bout some breakfast?" Gru asked with a smile. Margo nodded and retrieved her glasses before sliding off of the bed. Gru accompanied his small child to the kitchen, where they found Edith and Agnes already awake and trying to put lipstick on Kyle. They stopped immediately upon seeing their father and older sister in the doorway.

"Now gurls, yoo know de red leepsteeck doesn't go weeth hees fur unless he ees peenk" Gru said with a smile. They laughed and ran to hug him and Margo.

"Daddy said you were sick, Margo. Are you better?" Margo was taken aback at the term. So they were calling him daddy?

"I'm feeling much better Agnes," she managed to reply before sinking into thought. Gru evidently didn't mind being called Daddy. In fact, he had smiled so lovingly upon hearing the Agnes call him that Margo was sure he liked it. As they ate, she internally debated calling him it herself. She remembered what she'd told him the first night they were there. At the time, she was certain he would never be her dad. She was even more sure after her thoughts that day in that box, but now… now things were different. She loved him and she knew he loved her. Maybe… just maybe she would go back on her word. Maybe she could try to call him Dad. It was a big step and she knew she wasn't ready to do it just yet, but it was worth the thought.

"Yoo okay Margo? Yoo're very quiet." His words broke her out of her thought. She looked up to find that Gru was looking at her in concern.

"I'm fine," she said truthfully. "Just thinking." He nodded, not seeing any discomfort, pain or fear in her eyes. He knew she had a lot to think about. Margo stayed in the kitchen with Gru as he cleaned the plates from breakfast. He realized she hadn't left and decided it was probably time to tell her his plan. He sat down at the table again with Margo sitting across from him.

"I have a leettle errand I need to run today, Margo. Eet has to do weeth yoor request." She looked at him in confusion for a moment before she remembered. The previous day, she had asked that she never see Miss Hattie ever again when Gru brought the subject up. She nodded.

"Like I promeesed, neither yoo nor yoor seesters weel ever see her again. Eef yoo t'eenk yoo weel be okay here weethout me for a few hours, I weell do eet today. Eef not, eet can wait." She thought for a moment. Her thoughts were not as filled with terrible memories as before. The extra sleep had obviously helped with that. She felt more rational and secure.

"I think I will be okay," Margo said. "I feel better having slept so much. I can just be with the minions and Edith and Agnes so I'm not alone."

"Eef yoo're sure…" Gru said. He seemed reluctant to leave her.

"I will be fine as long as you're not gone too long," she said, putting a hand on his arm.

"I won't be long," he reassured her. "Once dees problem ees taken care of, yoo weell feel better, I t'eenk."

"I think so too," Margo said. He knew she lived in constant fear that Miss Hattie would show up at the door again and take them away. Removing the woman would assuage this fear.

"Very well. I weel be back before lunch, and I might breeng back a peeza…" he suggested. Margo's face lit up, eliciting a smile from her father. He gently patted her shoulder and sent her to get dressed for the day while he informed Edith and Agnes of his plan.

"One more t'eeng I need before I go," Gru said, looking around. "Where's Kyle?"

"You don't mean…" Edith began, eyes wide as she realized that Gru was actually going to feed Miss Hattie to him.

"Absolutely, and not just because yoo suggested eet. One way or another, she must pay for what she deed to yoo. Oderwise, how can I be sure she can never hurt yoo again? I refuse to reesk eet. Now, please help me find Kyle." The smaller girls obliged and upon finding him, managed to collectively wrangle Kyle onto a leash.

"T'ank yoo, gurls." Gru hugged both of them. "I weell be back een a few hours. Margo ees here weeth yoo. Eef yoo need anyt'eeng, call me. My cell phone number ees on de freedge. Nefario ees en de lab eef yoo need anyt'eeng from heem. I weell see yoo een a few hours."

"Okay, Daddy. Come back soon," Agnes said sweetly, hugging his legs.

"I weell, keeten. Don't yoo worry."

Gru checked up on Margo before he left and found her dressed and drawing in a notebook on the living room couch. Glad to see her looking healthy and happy.

"Margo?" She looked up and smiled. "I'm heading out now. Are yoo sure yoo weell be okay here for a few hours?"

"I'm sure. Just… come back, okay?" She said, a little unsure and obviously suffering from some abandonment issues. Gru walked over to her and gently embraced her.

"I weell. Don't yoo worry, gurl. I'll never leave yoo." She smiled.

"Okay. I trust you," she said quietly, hugging him tightly. She almost added _Dad_ onto that, but found herself unable to say it. She swallowed hard. He didn't notice, or he definitely would have stayed with her. She knew he had to do this, it's just that she didn't want him to ever leave. She was a little afraid, but Gru called a few minions in to keep her company. They sat on either side of her on the couch, jabbering animatedly to her while Gru hauled Kyle to his vehicle.

Gru's enormous vehicle roared up to the sidewalk in front of the brightly painted orphanage gaudily titled "Miss Hattie's Home for Girls". _Home? More like preeson…_ Gru thought dourly as he led Kyle, complacent for once, out of the tank. Gru pulled the girls' red wagon behind him, filled to the top with weaponry and covered by a tarp. He stuck Kyle underneath the tarp and shoved the door open.

"Hello, how may I help y- ohh…" Miss Hattie froze as she recognized the tall pointy-faced man who came in her door. The look on his face was absolutely terrifying. She had never seen anyone so angry before. She decided to play dumb for a while.

"Are you here about the girls? They've been adopted already…"

"I AM here about de gurls," Gru snarled. "I got dem back, and I found out what you've been doeeng to dem. I have some t'eengs for yoo to… experience." Hattie didn't like how he said that. His voice was very… ominous. She stood from her desk and walked forward.

"Now, I'm sure you know how unmanageable they can be. You called for them to be sent back here for that very reason after all."

"I deed not'eeng of de sort!" Gru roared. "What yoo have done to dem ees unacceptable." He almost recounted the scars on Margo's back, her nightmares, Edith's insecurity, Agnes' fear… but he didn't want to give her the satisfaction.

"Leesten, woman. I am here to repay you for what yoo deed to my gurls. Yoo subjected all of dem for a long time to horrors no child should have to endure. Now eet ees yoor turn. But furst… minions," Gru called. Several of the yellow creatures waddled into the room.

"Get any cheeldren steel en dees place. Take dem to my mother. She always wanted a daughter."

"Yah, papoi." They quickly waddled up the stairs and returned shortly, escorting a line of very confused children down the stairs and out the door. A minion vehicle started up in the street and the sound diminished as they drove away.

"Now for yoo," Gru snarled. Miss Hattie had begun to back away upon seeing the yellow creatures. She was now near the back door to the alley where she had beaten Margo.

"Ah ah, no yoo don't," Gru said condescendingly, sending a concentrated laser blast into the lock, fusing it shut. Miss Hattie whirled around, now properly terrified.

"What do you want?" She screamed finally, all pretense of composure gone.

"I want revenge. Revenge for Agnes, Edith, and Margo. Dees weell end now." He pulled out a foreign-looking gun. Before Hattie could react, Gru aimed it and pulled the trigger. Rubber bullets shot out with bruising force, slamming into Miss Hattie's ribs, bruising them even through the layer of blubber on top. He pulled the trigger again and thousands of needles shot out the end and imbedded themselves in Miss Hattie's ample flesh. She gave a cry of anger and pain and started digging at them. Gru threw a knife, which sliced deftly across her fat cheek.

"Why?" She demanded, furious at the treatment.

"Dees ees what Margo felt when yoo beat her and cut her face. Not so fun now, ees eet?" She scowled at him.

He smiled grimly, enjoying himself in a sort of perverse way. He pulled out another gun. This one was enormous and was what was taking up so much room in the red wagon. The 'SR-b' marked in white stood out against the massive teal barrel. Miss Hattie didn't have time to think before Gru pointed it at her and with a malevolent grin, pulled the trigger. Within seconds, she was approximately four inches tall and very disoriented. Gru's voice was like thunder to her now that she was so small.

"Yoo feel dat? Dat's how leettle Agnes felt when yoo stood over her and yelled at her. Now yoo feel her fear." He snatched her up before she could run away and squeezed, digging his fingers in.

"Dees pain, feel dees? Dees ees how Margo felt when yoo grabbed her arm and keecked and heet her."

"Yoo worthless woman," he snarled in her face, bringing her to eye level. "Yoo deed not deserve to be anywhere near such gurls. Dey are more human dan yoo are." He flicked her face with a finger, hard.

"Feel dees? Dees is what yoo deed to Edeeth, slapping her and putteeng her down." Gru whirled around, eager to be finished with this task. He wanted to be back with his girls, but this woman had to be dealt with permanently. He tugged a growling Kyle out from under the tarp. He bristled with hostility upon setting eyes on the woman Agnes had told him about as she fell asleep. Not many people realized Kyle was sentient. Agnes either knew, or just liked to talk to him as she fell asleep. All he knew was that the miniature demoness in Gru's hand must die. Gru's warning hand stayed the beast for a moment. He had some last words for the woman.

"And dees? Dees ees how dey all felt trapped in boxes. Dees ees how yoo treated MY Margo. Yoo broke her eenside and out and put her een a box far too small for her weeth no light, no hope, and no eentention of ever letteeng her out. And now, dere ees nobody comeeng to catch yoo but yoor eternal reward for de way yoo leeved yoor lyfe. DASVIDANIYA!" He shouted, reverting to his native Russian as he dropped the woman into the gaping hole that was Kyle's mouth. A series of violent crunches registered in Gru's ears as Kyle bit down again and again, chewing malevolently and with apparent relish.

Gru turned from the scene, feeling the slightest bit queasy. He wanted nothing to do with this place ever again. He threw his guns back into the wagon and left the building without looking back. Kyle spat out the remains of the woman who had hurt those he saw as his own not-puppies. He knew the pieces would expand, undergoing the Nefario effect as certainly as the moon had done last week. Although he wouldn't have to eat for a while if he swallowed, he did not relish the bloated feeling he was certain would come. Instead, he peed on the remains and trotted after his master.

Gru paused for a moment to pull something from his jacket, adjust it, and toss it into the now-vacant building. As soon as Gru and Kyle made it inside the vehicle and began to drive off, Gru pushed a button. The resulting mushroom cloud could be seen for miles around. He had done what he promised - his kittens would never see Miss Hattie again and they would never go back to that terrible place again.

Gru made himself a promise as he drove home as well. He had seen the worry in their eyes as he bade them farewell before heading out on his errand. They were really afraid he wouldn't come back. In his line of work, Gru had been almost killed on multiple occasions. He shuddered at the thought that one day, the three girls he adored would be left alone due to an assassin's bullet or a failed heist. He came to a conclusion fairly quickly; the life of villainy would have to stop (or at least decrease substantially). He could neither afford to put them nor himself in harm's way. He needed them just as much as they needed him.

"Kyle, dees ees eet. I'm queeteeng de veelain t'eeng." Kyle looked at him from over the seat with something near alarm.

"Yes, eet's true. De gurls are far more eemportant dan de stealeeng t'eengs to me now. Besides," he said, looking over at his not-dog, "what would happen do dem eef somet'eeng happened to me? Dey would be abandoned. Again. I can't let dat happen to dem," he said as he pulled into the driveway.

"Come on, Kyle. Let's go make sure dey're okay. Oh, leeck yoor leeps first. Yoo have some child-abuser stuck on dem." Kyle snorted and obeyed, his bestial nature enjoying the salty taste of blood. When Gru walked through the door, he was immediately tackled to the ground by his three children.

"Yay! Daddy's home!" Agnes shouted, hugging him tightly.

"Hey Dad, did it work?" Edith looked curiously at Kyle, who was trying to look nonchalant as he licked something suspiciously red from his nose.

"Hi... Mr. Gru," Margo said hesitantly. Gru embraced his three children, though noticing with sadness that Margo still didn't call him dad.

"Hello gurls. We're back." Agnes squealed and hugged Kyle, whose stalk-like ears twitched in happiness.

"Did… did you…" Margo asked hesitantly from her position on Gru's lap.

"Yes. Yoo weel never EVER see her again. And," he said, looking toward Edith with a grin, "I blew de place up!"

"Whoa! Cool!" Edith exclaimed and jumped up and down, hugging him. He noticed the look of horror on Margo's face and quickly reassured her.

"Don't yoo worry. De meenions took de other cheeldren to my mother's. On de way back, dey weel peeck up a peesa for us." Margo's face lit up and she relaxed, calmed by the knowledge that the only person harmed was Miss Hattie. Margo was so relieved to have Gru back that she was reluctant to leave his lap. The minions had proved to be a distraction for just a few minutes, but even they were unable to fend off the anxiety his absence created.

"Deed yoo have a rough tyme, Margo?" He asked in concern, holding her close. She just nodded mutely. Gru held her and stroked her hair.

"Eets okay. I'm home safe. Now, let's go celebrate!" He pulled his eldest daughter to her feet and led her in the direction her sisters had gone. They had a small tea-party while waiting for the minions to arrive with dinner. Margo let herself relax finally, as they were clinking merrily away. She finally felt safe. The specter of Miss Hattie that had haunted her at night was now gone from real life. Certainly she would fade from memory without the constant fear that she would turn up at the door. Margo smiled as she clinked her cup with Edith's. She was so very happy.

(A/N I know Gru's supposed to be Hungarian or something according to the description of his accent, but I had to throw in an Anastasia reference. It fit rather well.)


	7. Chapter 7

Previously: Margo's worst injuries revealed, Miss Hattie's ultimate reward and a pre-lunch tea party

The four were still at their tea party when the doorbell rang. Kyle scampered to the door, growling deeply in his throat. Agnes and Edith looked up startled by the discordant noise and followed Kyle, but Margo was affected far worse than they. In an instant she was curled up in a ball on the floor, trembling with her eyes shut tightly. She was reliving the memories triggered by the doorbell and the feelings of the day they had been sent back. The sense of betrayal, anger, self-hatred, pain and more flowed through Margo's mind, overwhelming her. Within seconds, Gru was on his knees at her side.

"Margo!" He called in alarm, surprised at the effect the sound had on her. It was as if she'd been shot! He could see she was lost in her painful memories again.

"Margo, come back to me," Gru called, gently rubbing her back. In a thankfully short time, Margo opened her eyes which were then streaming with tears. She reached out for Gru and with no hesitation he pulled her into his lap. Having shrugged off the memories with some difficulty, Margo was still very much shaken and somewhat embarrassed by her episode. Her trembling was lessening and she spoke.

"I'm… sorry," she whispered, '_for being like this,'_ she wanted to add, but her voice broke off.

"Oh Margo, eet's okay," Gru said softly. "Dere's not'eeng to be sorry for. I should have warned de meenions not to reeng de doorbell." Gru closed his eyes and gently rocked back and forth on the floor, holding Margo tightly in his arms, willing her to relax and feel secure again. He bent his head down and kissed the top of Margo's head lightly just as Marlena stormed into the room. The look of anger on her face faded slightly as she saw her son tenderly holding and kissing his obviously distraught child. Her blank stare turned to one of confusion. Why was the girl so upset? And just where had her son learned to show love like that? A pang of guilt coursed through Marlena.

Gru looked up, and locked eyes with his mother. A strangely protective feeling came over him and he held his daughter close and practically glared at Marlena. _She must have rung the doorbell_, he thought suddenly with anger. Gru realized he was being a little unfair. There was no way his mother could have known about Margo's problems. Nevertheless, he had hoped not to deal with her for a while. He wanted to relax and eat pizza with his girls but instead they had all been interrupted and one brought to tears because of her.

Shocked at the protective and angry look her son was shooting her, Marlena had the good sense to walk away at least momentarily. She went to find Edith and Agnes, who were eagerly helping the minions carry the pizza to the table.

"Deed yoo know eenytheeng about dees?" She asked in her heavily accented voice, showing them a picture of her front yard. There were about thirty young girls milling about. She had taken a picture for evidence and had gone to confront her son about it.

"Yeah!" Edith said, "I know them. They're the other girls from the orphanage. Dad said he sent them to you."

"Why?" was all Marlena could manage, shocked at the fact that the girl in front of her had just called her son 'Dad.'

"Well, they had to go somewhere. He blew the place up!" Agnes said gleefully. "We never have to go back there again!" Marlena was surprised at the overwhelming joy in the girls' faces and how easily they referred to her son as 'Dad.'

"What ees wrong weeth yoor seestur?" She asked, gesturing at the living room they had just exited.

"Erm… I dunno," Edith said, reluctant to divulge all she knew to the woman before her. "The doorbell probably scared her. It scared us too."

"Why?"

"It reminded us of when… SHE came and took us away," Agnes supplied, her eyes huge.

"She?"

"Miss Hattie," Edith spat. "She took us back to the orphanage and was mean to us and hurt Margo bad. But Dad rescued us and got even with her - he fed Miss Hattie to Kyle and blew the place up so we'd never have to go back there." Marlena could not conceal her surprise. Thinking back, she had noticed the brace on the older girl's arm even though it had been half-concealed against her son's chest. She forced her thoughts to return to the present situation; there were 30 girls at her house supervised only by a few loyal but incompetent minions.

Meanwhile, Margo had calmed down sufficiently to leave Gru's lap. She was almost disgusted with herself at the way she had reacted to the doorbell.

"Eet's okay," Gru had insisted. "We'll get yoo through dees, gurl. Eet's going to be okay. Now, eef I remember correctlee, we have some peesa to eat."

Margo smiled as she wiped the last of her tears away. Gru gently pulled her to her feet and guided her to the kitchen with a supportive hand on her shoulder. He was saddened by what had just happened - the traumatic memories were still very fresh for Margo, it seemed. It would take a lot of time and probably therapy to help her overcome her trigger-induced episodes. Gru's brow was still furrowed in worry when he walked into the kitchen to come face to face with his annoyed mother.

"What ees de meaneeng of dees?" She demanded, showing him the photograph. Gru rubbed his face with one hand. He really didn't feel like having the confrontation. He wanted peace - for himself and his girls, but this had to be dealt with.

"Dey had to go somewhere," he explained calmly. "I couldn't take dem all here, and eef I remember correctly, yoo always wanted a daughter, deedn't yoo?" He tried to keep his voice innocent, but underlying tones of hurt crept into his voice unbidden. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Margo look up at him in confusion and interrupted before Marlena could respond.

"Regardless, I do not weesh to talk about dees right now. Eef yoo so desire, yoo can turn dem over to de foster seestem - make up somet'eeng about a gas explosion under de orphanage while dey were veeseeting yoo to sell cookees or somet'eeng. Jeest… please leave us for now. Eet's been a long day." Surprisingly, Marlena only nodded stiffly, glared, and left without a word. The door slammed behind her and all the occupants of the room relaxed - even Kyle.

"Now," Gru said, his face brightening. "How 'bout some peesa, gurls?"

Gru carefully watched his daughters as they ate. They all seemed unsettled from the incident - Agnes' and Edith's eyes were still a little wide. Margo was pale, but trying valiantly to recover her composure. She felt she had to for her sisters' sake. They all felt better after they ate. The renewed memories of their abandonment were fading and all three girls were soothed by Gru's deep, calming voice.

Gru brought them into the living room to watch a movie. Agnes sat contentedly in Gru's lap while Margo and Edith sat on either side of him. Edith and Agnes were enjoying the movie, but Margo had become quite sleepy. She gradually nodded off against Gru's shoulder. He felt something press on him from her side and found his eldest daughter leaning against him, fast asleep. He smiled, but his eyes were worried. He had expected that she would sleep more that day, but it seemed the episode had taken a lot out of her. The stress of the morning and the shock from the doorbell incident had evidently worn her out. Gru carefully wrapped his arm around his sleeping daughter to keep her warm and smiled contentedly at his three girls.

When the movie was over, Agnes and Edith got up reluctantly and were slightly surprised to find Margo asleep.

"Why's she sleeping so much?" Edith asked, her bright blue eyes focused on her sleeping sister.

"She ees steel healeeng, keeten. Eet makes her very tired. She weel heal faster eef she sleeps." Gru carefully laid Margo down on the couch as he stood up. He covered her sleeping body with a blanket, reminded uncomfortably of her first night back from the hospital when she had woken in agony. He shook the thought from his mind - she was better now.

"Let's let her rest. Do yoo gurls want to play somet'eeng?"

Margo did not sleep long. She woke when she heard Agnes giggle. She opened her eyes, readjusted her glasses, and looked for the source of the noise. She was confused as to how she had fallen asleep - she didn't feel so tired, but it hadn't been an easy morning. She heard another giggle and looked to the corner of the room with the rhino chair. There on the floor, she saw her father and sisters sitting around a colorful board game. She sat up, noticing with gratefulness the soft blanket that had been draped over her as she pulled it off and got to her feet. Gru looked up and smiled as Margo approached.

"Hey gurl. Deed yoo have a good nap?"

"I guess so. I didn't realize I was tired. I didn't feel tired," Margo mumbled as she sat down between her sisters.

"Do you wanna play Candyland, Margo?" Agnes asked.

"Candyland?" Margo asked, curious. She vaguely remembered a game that looked like this. They'd sold cookies to an old lady last year and she'd taken pity on them and given the three girls an old, worn board game. It was called Mousetrap, but it looked a lot like this with the bright colored squares and little plastic pieces. She chose to ignore the memories she held of the fate of that game. Miss Hattie forbade games and punished Margo quite harshly for accepting the game, but that time was over. Gru had evidently bought the game for them and he was looking at her like he wanted her to join in.

"Sure," she said, sitting down with a smile.

"Yay! You can be the blue one." Edith pushed the small plastic figure into Margo's hand.

"Let's start over so Margo can play too," Gru said. The younger two girls nodded and moved their pieces back to the beginning of the path. The game was very simple, but Gru made it fun. He feigned despair when they passed him, and acted like he'd won the lottery when he got a card that moved him far ahead. It made the girls giggle and they started to get into it too.

Margo was soon lost in thought even as she was playing the game. She watched Gru and saw his joy as he played with her sisters, saw his love for them reflected in their eyes as they looked up at him. She felt an unfamiliar happiness welling up inside her as Gru smiled at Agnes when she won.

"I won! Yay! Can we play again, Daddy?" Agnes asked, her brown eyes pleading.

"Ov course. Do yoo want to keep de same color?"

Again Margo was struck by the concept of calling Gru her dad. Agnes and Edith didn't seem to have a problem with it. She saw how his eyes lit up when they called him dad. She had almost called him dad that morning, and she wondered why she hadn't. She saw him as her dad, sure. She loved him and she knew he loved her. She trusted him… or did she? She had learned to never trust adults long ago. Her trust had been broken so many times, she was reluctant to trust Gru to be her dad. He himself had broken her trust by sending them back, but she still wanted to believe she could trust him. She remembered the heartbreak of when they were returned, but at the same time she remembered all the times he'd tried to make up for it.

A series of vivid memories passed through her mind. She remembered the pain of her injuries on Vector's ship and how devastated Gru looked when he found her. She remembered how safe she felt wrapped in his arms before she passed out on the way to the hospital. Then in the hospital how he was the first person to ever tell her that he loved her and how he stroked her hair so soft and nice that it put her straight to sleep. Then she remembered how he'd cared for her in her pain and fear at home and kept her warm and watched over her all night long. She smiled as she recalled their trip to the ice cream parlor and his sincere wish to bring closure to her past with the offer of deciding what to do with Miss Hattie and then keeping his promise to never let them return to her.

Margo's back brushed against the rhino chair and she remembered his shock at the sight of her wounds and scars and how he kept her even though she was damaged and imperfect. Miss Hattie told her that the marks would make everyone who came to adopt her think she was ugly and worthless. Gru made sure she knew she was important to him, scars and all. She remembered the way the scar removal cream felt on her skin - tingling and cold but refreshing. Gru had applied it again before the tea party and had reassured her beyond reason that she would be okay and he wouldn't ever leave her. He comforted her even when she was being pitiful and terrified by a mere doorbell and he let her fall asleep on his arm.

Even now it was plain to see how much he cared for them. They were sitting on the floor playing a board game after all…

"Margo?" His voice broke her out of her thoughts. The girl blinked and looked around. The game had ended and Gru was putting the last of the pieces back into the box while Agnes and Edith had gone to play with the minions. She realized she had just kept sitting there, staring off into space. Gru was concerned. She smiled at him and stood up. He put the lid on the box and stood. Margo followed him for a moment, but paused suddenly.

"Mr. Gru…?" She asked uncertainly. He turned around and noticed the unsure look on her face. He knelt down so he was at eye level with his little girl.

"Yes Margo? Ees everyt'eeng okay?" She had been awfully quiet. Gru wondered if she was in pain, but he saw no traces of it on her face. She looked down, fiddling with the strap of the brace on her arm.

"Do… do you remember the first night we were here? And what I said to you?" She stammered

"Yes, I do. I wasn't very nice to yoo gurls, was I?"

"It's not that," she insisted. "I… I know I said I wouldn't, but things have changed and now the others do... so do you think… I could call you Dad?" She almost looked afraid as she said it, hardly daring to look into his eyes. She had subconsciously shifted her body so her sore ribs and arm were farthest away from him as if anticipating a beating. She wasn't looking at his face, so she missed the spontaneous expression of shock and joy that flooded his face. In an instant she felt his arms close around her and she was being held tightly to his chest. When Gru spoke, his voice was soft and deeper almost as if he were trying not to cry.

"Oh Margo, I thought yoo would never ask. Ov course yoo can. I would love dat so much." He finally pulled away. Margo was surprised to see unshed tears in his eyes.

"I'm so glad yoo changed yoor mind."

Margo stepped forward to embrace him, tears of joy stinging her own eyes now.

"I'm glad you changed your mind too," she murmured into his shirt.

"About what?"

"About us."

Epilogue:

Agnes and Edith remained relatively unaffected by their time with Miss Hattie. After merely months, the whole experience faded into a dream-like memory for them. News reports of an explosion in a gas pipe underneath a downtown orphanage produced great alarm, but when the general public discovered that the girls were not inside at the time of the explosion a community effort to adopt them proved quite successful. Marlena was very pleased.

Due to careful and long-term application of Nefario's scar cream, the terrible scars on Margo's back faded and eventually vanished. The wound on her face did not scar and her wrist healed perfectly. She had problems with loud noises, doorbells, unexpected touches, the smell of hair spray and the sight of large women for a while, but Gru was patient and loving with her and these effects diminished over time.

Gru finally felt complete. His beautiful girls were happy and healthy, although Margo would never grow to her full height as a result of poor nutrition in her early childhood. Gru had discovered through conversations with his girls that at the orphanage, Margo give most of her share of the food they were given to her sisters so that they wouldn't go to sleep hungry. Gru made sure they had all the food they wanted and he never failed to take Margo out for ice cream once in a while just to make her feel special. Every day with his girls was special, but his favorite moment of each day was at bedtime when each of his girls, even Margo, would let him kiss them and they'd sleepily murmur,

"Goodnight, Dad."


End file.
